This year PsySR's Environmental Protection and Justice Action Committee is highlighting the psychological dimensions of climate change. More information about the committee and its work is available HERE.
A healthy environment is central to our physical and psychological well-being. Yet human activities on a global scale are threatening ecological systems and putting our collective security at risk. Of primary concern is global climate change, which is altering the Earth’s atmosphere, temperatures, weather patterns, sea levels and growing cycles in ways that jeopardize continued life on our planet as we know it.
A Role for Psychological Knowledge
Addressing climate change requires expertise from many disciplines. Psychologists can contribute our expertise in human behavior, for example:
- Identifying cognitive errors that occur in information processing, from selective attention to illusory correlation, from cognitive dissonance to us vs. them thinking
- Identifying motivators and barriers to action and developing strategies to overcome inaction
- Sharing information about social marketing approaches that have successfully addressed energy conservation and developing new programs
- Speaking about despair and hopelessness that occur when a problem seems too big and one’s actions too small
- Disseminating research on “fear appeals” so that messages are crafted in ways that make participation more, not less, likely
- Exploring ways to apply research from positive psychology to help empower the behavioral changes that need to occur as we move to a lower consumption lifestyle
A New Initiative: "Enjoying a Lower Carb Lifestyle"
Join us for our newest initiative, “Enjoying a Lower Carb Lifestyle,” which explores how positive psychology can empower families, communities and organizations to change their behaviors in ways that reduce their carbon use while maximizing their own self-reports of satisfaction and enjoyment.
We are considering a number of activities under this initiative, including developing an overview of research from areas such as conservation psychology, positive psychology and social psychology that can be applied to environmental sustainability, and seeking funding for a small grants program to support research, education and community-based action projects.
Talking Points on Climate Change, Pesticides, and Toxic Cleaners
PsySR's Environmental Protection and Justice Action Committee has prepared a series of talking points on Climate Change, Pesticides, and Toxic Cleaners.
Resources and Links to Learn More and Take Action
An alphabetical listing of websites focused on environmental issues and ways that citizens can take action TODAY to address this urgent challenge is available HERE.