Psychology can help address global climate change in several ways:
1) By studying how people think about and feel towards climate change in order to understand what motivates pro-environmental behavior or inhibits action.
2) Analyzing patterns of decision making to provide effective communication strategies.
3) Facilitating shifts in social norms to foster widespread behavior change.
Some of the challenges include overcoming scientific uncertainty, confusion from mixed messages, and entrenched attitudes and beliefs. Effective communication must target specific audiences and present concrete local examples to make climate change personally relevant.
Climate change has become a hot-button issue in mainstream American politics, and people are divided over its causes, impacts, and solutions. This presentation will offer an overview of how the public views the issue of climate change, several explanations for these differences in perception, and possible approaches for bridging the gaps through innovative communication strategies. I will also present some initial findings from a NSF funded project aimed at communicating about climate change and its long-term association with the issue of agricultural runoff in the Maumee Watershed area of Ohio.
http://www.extension.org/pages/68139/communicating-about-climate-change
Award winning presentation detailing entire process of brainstorming, executing, and results from 'Coco After Dark' event held at Ciné in Athens, GA on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Climate change has become a hot-button issue in mainstream American politics, and people are divided over its causes, impacts, and solutions. This presentation will offer an overview of how the public views the issue of climate change, several explanations for these differences in perception, and possible approaches for bridging the gaps through innovative communication strategies. I will also present some initial findings from a NSF funded project aimed at communicating about climate change and its long-term association with the issue of agricultural runoff in the Maumee Watershed area of Ohio.
http://www.extension.org/pages/68139/communicating-about-climate-change
Award winning presentation detailing entire process of brainstorming, executing, and results from 'Coco After Dark' event held at Ciné in Athens, GA on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Singapore’s Top Paying Jobs
Career Progression
Satisfaction & Stability
Time
Culture
Profile of successful candidates.
The desire to help others
The ability to listen
The ability to build strong personal relationships
The ability to draw energy and excitement from meeting new people and working in an ever-changing, dynamic work environment.
FENS 2016. Citoyenneté numérique. Laboratoire social de la donnée.Sylvia Fredriksson
Dans le cadre de la programmation "Citoyenneté numérique" du Festival Futur en Seine 2016, Open Knowledge France présentait le projet "Laboratoire social de la donnée". Événement organisé par EdFab, fabrique des nouvelles formations numériques de Cap Digital. Compte-rendu.
Sustainability Science
“emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet's life support systems”
National Academies of Science, 2011
Singapore’s Top Paying Jobs
Career Progression
Satisfaction & Stability
Time
Culture
Profile of successful candidates.
The desire to help others
The ability to listen
The ability to build strong personal relationships
The ability to draw energy and excitement from meeting new people and working in an ever-changing, dynamic work environment.
FENS 2016. Citoyenneté numérique. Laboratoire social de la donnée.Sylvia Fredriksson
Dans le cadre de la programmation "Citoyenneté numérique" du Festival Futur en Seine 2016, Open Knowledge France présentait le projet "Laboratoire social de la donnée". Événement organisé par EdFab, fabrique des nouvelles formations numériques de Cap Digital. Compte-rendu.
Sustainability Science
“emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet's life support systems”
National Academies of Science, 2011
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The Psychology of Sustainability Behavior - For Facilities Managers Doherty 1...Thomas Doherty
The Psychology of Sustainability Behavior: Implications for Facilities Managers
This talk will provide a framework to help you understand some different ways that people think about environmental sustainability and the use of natural resources in businesses and organizations. We will identify some best practices for communicating with and motivating different stakeholders and implementing behavior change programs. These include recognizing and honoring different beliefs, setting realistic goals, and utilizing appropriate incentives. In this model, differences of opinion about the role of sustainability in the workplace--what we will call “environmental diversity”--are seen as a source of innovation.
Towards an Action-Focused Agenda for Social Change Using Social MediaRaul Pacheco-Vega
This is an abridged version of my talk at the Social Media Club Victoria monthly talk (May 26th, 2009). I spoke about how I conceive the idea of social change via social media and where my action-focused agenda has taken me, including examples from Mental Health Camp. Also, this presentation shares my 4xN Method to Analyze and Design Social Media Campaigns.
A problem-oriented adaptive governance approach to adaptation: lessons learnt...
Psychology And Global Climate Change Earth Day 2008
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2. From Winter & Koger (2004) The Psychology of Environmental Problems
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Editor's Notes
INTRODUCTION Cartoon : from Psychology of Environmental Problems (psychologists Winter & Koger). [Read cartoon.] Article 6 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2005) highlights the value of “education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information and international cooperation” (Whitmarsh, p. 1). In other words, we will need public support and involvement to mitigate climate change. Psychology and other social sciences will have to play a major role in meeting this challenge. In 2006, the American Environmental Values Survey found that Americans are skeptical about intellectuals; skeptical about science ; and skeptical about scientists’ tendency to prioritize facts over religious ideas and social values. Environmentalists have an image problem as well, being seen by many Americans as “traditional, dated, and somewhat out of touch with current society.” I quote from the Environmental Value Survey: “ making scientific arguments is not compelling to many Americans” . Some citizens believe scientists are motivated by the need to secure government funding for their research; others think government involvement could actually have political more than environmental objectives; and still others may believe businesses seek profit through claims of pending environmental catastrophe.
Journal – Public Understanding of Science Theory of social norms in psychology – research indicates that changes in environmental behavior and maintaining those changes – can be influenced by peer pressure or other social norms.
What do people need to know? David Orr wrote the book Ecological Literacy in 1992, in which he stressed the importance of teaching ecology as part of all subjects, at all grade levels. This would, he believes, foster in students a deeper understanding and increased sense of caring and responsibility toward the natural world. It seems to me that intimate knowledge of the natural landscape is critical to understanding global warming and being sufficiently motivated to take the necessary actions that will avert or at least slow down the impending ecological crisis. According to a study in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, misperceptions may well “inhibit the public’s ability to participate meaningfully in democratic discussions of [global warming], to understand how their own actions affect the climate and to fully and accurately appreciate how climate change will affect our future” (Lowe et al. 437). Consequences of global warming There is confusion between greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, and those that contribute to ozone depletion. Ozone itself is confusing – beneficial in the upper atmosphere to filter UV rays, but a pollutant at the ground level. role of forests – Research indicates that people are often confused about the role of forests in sequestering C02. Studies have shown that many people think deforestation is a problem because it leads to reduced oxygen production, which in turn causes the air to be dirtier (Whitmarsh, 2) According to a study of Environmental Literacy in America, only 17% adult Americans know that in the past decade the average miles per gallon for American-made vehicles has decreased. 2/3 of Americans do not realize that the transportation sector is the largest user of petroleum in the U.S. Only 27% of Americans know that most of our electricity is produced by burning coal and other flammable materials.
Why is it that people just don’t “get it”? Scientific uncertainty : While it is generally accepted that climate change poses a serious threat to human well-being and the environment, there remains much uncertainty: when will climate change reach a crisis and exactly where will the crisises occur? How much will the climate change and in what ways? How much time do we have to avert disaster? What exactly will the environmental repercussions be as the climate changes? Confusing information: Contradictory Messages: Media has sought “balanced” coverage – often presents both sides of the debate although at this point the number of scientists disputing global warming is a very small minority. Katrina as case in point: According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, science cannot directly determine whether Katrina was caused by climate change because “science, as a method, is not good at assigning causation for uncontrolled events, and no single weather event can be linked directly to a long-term driver such as global warming.” They go on to say, however, that “this inability to draw a definite conclusion . . . in no sense justifies the conclusion that global warming did not influence Katrina.” This type of uncertainty contrasts sharply with information about DDT’s impact, for example, as exposed by Rachel Carson in Silent Spring . According to The American Environmental Values Survey referenced earlier, “issue complexity has paralyzed many Americans”. Intangible We can’t see ozone depletion, C02 is invisible, most effects of climate change are gradual in a day-to-day sense.
Information can help shape attitudes and behavior. It is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The average citizen’s concept of global warming may be linked to their beliefs about other issues such as social justice or environmental protection (Whitmarsh, 2) Terminology Research has shown that people can react differently to different terms. Whereas Climate change is used more often among scientists, global warming is more often used for public discourse. Greenhouse effect is yet another term bandied about, just to make things more confusing. The media often uses climate change and global warming interchangeably. One research study demonstrated that global warming may not suggest the same potential for devastation as global climate change . So we should ask, what language is most effective in achieving our objectives? (By the way, I recommend conducting an informal classroom exercise where students free associate on each of these terms – I found the differences to be fascinating and to validate the findings from this study.) Demographics The American Environmental Values Study reveals many demographic differences in attitudes toward global warming. While most Americans do understand that human behavior contributes to global warming, many do not believe they personally have an impact. Those who are well-educated are much more likely to support aggressive action to mitigate global warming. Younger Americans are far less likely to think global warming matters to them personally, and many feel this issue is being over-hyped. Conservative religious Americans are less likely to understand the causes of global warming.
Psychological concepts help us to understand many attitudes toward global warming. Denial : This past January I heard a PSA on the radio that played on the theme of denial. The announcer warned: “Ignoring global warming won’t make it go away. Help World Wildlife Fund.” Blame : Many people believe their own behavior does not have much impact, and they expect government or large corporations to solve the problem. Other people blame overpopulation and pollution in the developing world, and see no need to change their own lifestyle. Minimization : I read an article in the Wall Street Journal earlier in the year on “green vacations”, in which travelers were discouraged from flying to their destinations. Flying, after all, produces serious quantities of carbon emissions. This suggestion offended one reader, who wrote in her letter to the editor that “the earth is more likely to burn from terrorist attacks, nuclear weapons and genocide than it is from global warming.” (1/29/08)
Target audience – be sure to tailor the message to match the audience education level and religious and political affiliations. Concrete examples – what is changing now – what can people directly perceive? keep it simple and clear. maybe have a campaign for weather forecasters to emphasize heating trend rather than expressing enthusiasm about unusually warm weather. Personally relevant – think like your audience – “why should I care?” “what does this matter to me?” tragedy of the commons – people tend to think about their own self-interest in the short term, rather than the good of the community over the long term. Keep it Simple – carbon footprint, ecological footprint, greenhouse gas, ozone, there are many scientific words and lots of confusion. Jargon can make people feel like scientists are trying to obfuscate, to hide something.
Energy conservation and transportation may be the most effective starting point. Let’s be honest -- Significant changes in lifestyle will be needed. Stay focused, don’t overwhelm people with hundreds of things to do. Decide what the top priorities are, and pursue them. Social psychologist and marketer Doug McKenzie-Mohr has written extensively on how to design behavior-change programs that really work. He has a comprehensive website. He suggests . . .
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