The psychology of climate change

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

Some interesting articles ...

http://blogs.abc.net.au/events/2009/11/the-psychology-of-climate-change.html

Is this a problem with the human psyche - i.e. that climate change is (arguably) slipping down our 'To Do' list?

Or our leaders perhaps - how they describe the problem to an electorate, a bare 1 or 2% of whom have read the IPCC report or even an excerpt.. If they paint it "easy to fix", then we say "can't be that bad"
If they paint it as potentially a disaster just down the road a bit , then the public finds it too scary. ( a recent UK ad)

I've heard exasperated climate scientists similarly ponder what they regard as bewildering inaction.

CSIRO's former climate director, Dr Graeme Pearman, suffered a personal crisis after confronting this question before deciding to study psychology, which he describes as the new frontier in climate change:

"Behavioural issues are likely to be much more important than the development of improved descriptions of exactly what happens or might happen to the climate. These are the main barriers to the actions that are needed."

Harvard University's Daniel Gilbert has provided a sharply amusing account of how global warming challenges our evolutionary psychology - if it doesn't make us duck or twitch or even feel repulsed, can it really be so bad?

Behavioural scientists... "Simply laying out the facts won't work … The barrage of negative, even terrifying, information can trigger denial or paralysis or, at the very least, procrastination." Sounds like a bad rap for his Academy Award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, which helped raise global awareness of the issue.

"Messages are more effective if framed to warn people that they will lose $500 over 10 years if they don't follow a particular course of action to limit climate change, than if they are told they'll be $500 better off if they do take action," the report says.

But is our psychology the only reason why climate change is slipping down our 'To Do' list? Does lack of political and economic leadership, inaccessible science (how many people have really read the 2007 IPCC report?), aggressive vested industrial interests and extremist greenies all combine to dilute the collective will Mr Gore is trying to summon on this epic issue? Another one of his chapters analyses the political obstacles.

David Spratt, an Australian climate activist and co-author of Climate Code Red, blames apathy on "a systemic political under-estimation of the seriousness of the problem … Because governments are not honest with themselves about the size and urgency of the problem, they necessarily transmit a shallow view of the problem to the electorate, who follow suit in seeing climate as an incremental problem. Voters are sold a show-bag of dinky policy actions on climate as 'solving the problem', and they reasonably conclude the problem can't be all that serious. Much of the climate advocacy lobby is guilty of the same incapacity."

But a recent public campaign by the UK Government prompted complaints that its TV ad on climate change was too scary.

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

then there's managing the effects (real , here , now) on rural families,

http://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/climate_rural/

Suicide rates, on the other hand, have been consistently reported as higher in the farming population for some years (Judd et al, 2006; Kilkkinen et al, 2007). A range of biopsychosocial factors have been proposed to explain why the suicide rate is high in the farming population but as yet there is no definitive answer, and the impact of climate change on suicidal behaviour so far has only been inferred.

Environmental psychology: An endangered species? P

Environmental psychology is an area of psychology which places particular emphasis on people-environment interrelationships and transactions. It is a well-established area of psychology which has been going strong since the late 1960s, with specific environmental psychology journals, courses, textbooks, handbooks, web sites, and postgraduate programs.
...
The current situation for environmental psychology in Australia, however, is looking increasingly dire. It would appear that there are now very few Departments or Schools offering such a subject at an undergraduate level, etc

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

Personally, when I see Barnaby Joyce giving public talks to country folk, I'm certain that there's more going on in their minds than the science

I can empathise and sympathise, but we'll all (including them) still have to come back to the science eventually to find a way through this problem.

Sean K · 14 November 2009

I unchecked 2020 from my Ignore List just to check what was posted here because I am very bored.

Back on ignore.

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

sorry to hear you're bored kennas,
try this one - help fill in a few minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM09qoR8oi0 The Psychology of Climate Change 2008

Julia · 14 November 2009

kennas said:
I unchecked 2020 from my Ignore List just to check what was posted here because I am very bored.

Back on ignore.

Ah, Kennas, thank you for reminding me of this facility.
In my entire time on ASF, there is only one person who prompts me to engage it.

Wysiwyg · 14 November 2009

Calliope said:
Here we go again. I have no doubt your Guardian-reading disciples will flock to your banner. At best this thread will act as a cesspool to attract the crazies and stop them from trying to hi-jack other threads for their ulterior purposes.

I like the idea of concentrating all nutters in one thread. (oh i just posted )

Smurf1976 · 14 November 2009

I've been interested in the issue since the 1980's and I'm well aware of what would need to be done to solve it (assuming the science is correct).

That I hear so many claims of outright nonsense from all sides in terms of solutions is what turns me off. Whether they're outright lies or carefully constructed attempts at pursuing some other agenda is an arguable point, but the certainty is that they don't actually fix the problem, at least not without causing other major problems in the first place.

Restore some honesty to the whole thing and then I'll take people seriously. But I can't take anyone seriously who tells me that installing a water tank will help (it will do absolutely no good whatsoever) or that shuffling emissions between countries will help (also does no good at all). Even worse are those who try introducing socialism under the guise of climate change - stick to the CC issue please and don't use it to pursue other agendas.

Keep it real, stick to the facts, stop telling lies and then I'll listen. That's aimed at the debate in general, not specifically the original poster on this thread.

Is the climate changing? Having seen plenty of figures and real world examples, I'd say yes, it certainly is changing at least in WA and Tas where there's rather a lot of proof in relation to rainfall patterns. Whether that's due to global CO2 emissions is another matter but the link between temperature and rainfall seems pretty clear.

MACCA350 · 14 November 2009

Last I heard the Earth's temp hasn't increased since 2001

Also heard this wasn't a global warming but a solar system warming as other planets have also increased in temp in line with the suns increased solar radiation activity.

I saw a graph which used ice core samples to determine the temp change over millions of years, looked like a mountain range with the swings up and down. We're apparently at or near the high for this cycle.

So what's the reality?
Are the governments of the world strings being pulled using this as an excuse to plough more money off us and create a "one world government" ...........all the while knowing that their public attempts to reduce global warming are like using a babies toy bulldozer to flatten the Himalayas(ie useless as .... on a bull) , yet will seem affective because they already know we're coming(or have already passed) to the end of the warming cycle.

All bollocks if you ask me, and in the future if some "Top Secret Documents" come to light showing the governments of the world know as such, they should be shot for scaremongering.

cheers

Garpal Gumnut · 14 November 2009

The psychology of global warming , bad weather or whatever you want to call it is similar to that of religion.

Non-believers are ridiculed or punished.

It is not proveable.

Rewards for Scientific endeavour are reserved for believers, and the case for a god, or a flat earth, or global whatchamacallit is pushed down the throats of children or innocents.

People collect in spaces/churches/etc. to reinforce their beliefs.

The Psychology is Fear of Retribution from a Greater Being.

gg

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

MACCA350 said:
Last I heard the Earth's temp hasn't increased since 2001
... cheers

macca, here's an article you may have missed ...
http://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-stopped-in-1998.htm

no point in asking gg to read it , lol - he's too busy enjoying the weather.

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

Garpal Gumnut said:
Non-believers are ridiculed or punished.
...
gg

non-believers ( and believers alike) will be exposed to diseases like this too m8. (and malaria etc etc ).

Ever had dengue fever? - they call it broken bone fever in the islands.
sheesh, makes the worst flue you've ever had seem like a touch of common cold.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/11/12/2741216.htm

Queensland Health has today confirmed three travellers have fallen ill with dengue fever on return to Cairns from the Asia and South Pacific Region.

Queensland Health has today also confirmed Townsville's first case of the virus for the season.

The three travellers in Cairns have contracted strains one and two, and the person in Townsville has strain one of the virus.

Medical Director for Queensland Health Dr Jeffrey Hanna says recent rains make the potential for another dengue outbreak ominous.

"The [recent] rains of course mean all our breeding sites, containers in the back yard for example, are now all full of water, and with the hot weather mosquitoes will just love it," Dr Hanna says.

"So now we're really primed for a dengue outbreak in Cairns or Townsville in the coming months."

The case in Townsville is of particular concern because the person hasn't travelled, but has picked up the virus locally.

Apparently a really early start to the season - you could well be getting it all year round one of these days.

Calliope · 14 November 2009

2020hindsight said:
non-believers ( and believers alike) will be exposed to diseases like this too m8. (and malaria etc etc ).

Ever had dengue fever? - they call it broken bone fever in the islands.
sheesh, makes the worst flue you've ever had seem like a touch of common cold.

Climate change, yes, but where's the psychology?

Smurf1976 · 14 November 2009

Garpal Gumnut said:
The psychology of global warming , bad weather or whatever you want to call it is similar to that of religion.

Non-believers are ridiculed or punished.

It is not proveable.

Rewards for Scientific endeavour are reserved for believers, and the case for a god, or a flat earth, or global whatchamacallit is pushed down the throats of children or innocents.

People collect in spaces/churches/etc. to reinforce their beliefs.

The Psychology is Fear of Retribution from a Greater Being.

gg

Being sceptical of anything is nearly always a good thing and it's what leads to the great discoveries being made in the first place. It wasn't that long ago that only sceptics thought CO2-induced climate change was possible - it certainly wasn't the mainstream view until quite recently.

The simple fact that sceptics are being ridiculed confirms absolutely that this has taken on a religion-like approach where people should just believe what they're told and not question. That's not at all scientific in any way.

Now I don't know about you, but whenever someone trys to stop me from thinking and says "trust me", I'm immediately suspicious. Even moreso when they are proposing that I part with significant sums of money or permanently hand over my rights.

Garpal Gumnut · 14 November 2009

Smurf1976 said:
Being sceptical of anything is nearly always a good thing and it's what leads to the great discoveries being made in the first place. It wasn't that long ago that only sceptics thought CO2-induced climate change was possible - it certainly wasn't the mainstream view until quite recently.

The simple fact that sceptics are being ridiculed confirms absolutely that this has taken on a religion-like approach where people should just believe what they're told and not question. That's not at all scientific in any way.

Now I don't know about you, but whenever someone trys to stop me from thinking and says "trust me", I'm immediately suspicious. Even moreso when they are proposing that I part with significant sums of money or permanently hand over my rights.

Sorry just posted this on the Confucius thread but it seems so apt for weather and climate discussion.

He who learns but does not think, is lost He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.

gg

OzWaveGuy · 14 November 2009

Interesting thread and a good one. There's actually quite considerably more to the background of climate change than most realize. Unfortunately, I don't have time at the moment to put thoughts to ascii.

One observation I will make now is that the folks behind climate change missed a huge opportunity to implement a world wide carbon tax years ago. If one were to consider the AGW scam a 'project' , analysis of this project's deployment strategy and timing would have been a critical success factor. The key, IMHO, would be to deliver the project with the least resistance from the distracted public - and timing would have played a very key part in the strategy.

Of course, as most are now aware and as clearly documented in other threads the real agenda is out and people globally know it's a scam. Even if the ETS get's up here in AU, a growing awareness will unfold and will be unstoppable with some severe consequences.

More sometime later.

gav · 14 November 2009

2020hindsight said:
then there's managing the effects (real , here , now) on rural families,

Suicide rates, on the other hand, have been consistently reported as higher in the farming population for some years (Judd et al, 2006; Kilkkinen et al, 2007). A range of biopsychosocial factors have been proposed to explain why the suicide rate is high in the farming population but as yet there is no definitive answer, and the impact of climate change on suicidal behaviour so far has only been inferred.

Click to expand...

Well then, I better tell my parents and relatives to stop farming!

Farming can be an be an extremely tough gig, physically, mentally, and financially. I'm sure this can affect farmers psychologically. Loneliness is another factor. Being rural, most farmers generally have a lot less contact with people, compared than those who live in cities - which can also affect someone psychologically, especially if they were already feeling down.

Growing up in the country, most people dont "talk about feelings", it is not the way they were raised. Not being able to express feelings will also affect someone psychologically, when they are feeling down. All of these psychological factors could contribute to the increased number of farming suicides.

Yes, things like drought, floods, etc. will cause a farmer stress. But the reason behind the stress is NOT the reason that some commits suicide. It's how they deal with this stress psychologically that will determine whether they commit suicide or choose to live (see the points I mentioned above). There are many, many things that cause farmers stress -unfavourable weather is just one. But to claim "climate change" as a contributing factor to farmers suicides is simply grasping at straws, and shows how weak your argument really is.

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

gav said:
But to claim "climate change" as a contributing factor to farmers suicides is simply grasping at straws, and shows how weak your argument really is.

well gav, I would have thought that increasing fire risk and/or drought and/or floods and/or rapidly rising insurance premiums for these things were a contributing factor.

but since you insist that they are not - then I guess they are not.

PS I seem to recall I posted the proposition that it was a complex subject - open for discussion if you will. Thanks for your comments. ( I also had grandparents and great grandparents who went broke on the land - going back to the 1901 ( I think) drought / bank crisis (and before)

PS gav, when I first started on ASF, one of my main motivations was to try to lighten things up a bit - add a bit of humour for country folk - try to stem the fact that rural suicides were running at crazy levels. Since then I seem to have bogged down arguing with people who pretend to want to reduce pollution, but then argue against the best chance to do so , namely Copenhagen .

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2008/s2543219.htm]

A 2008 World Health Organisation study says the rate of rural suicide in Australia is among the highest in the developed world.

Our farmers battle the crippling challenges and profound stresses of years of drought, failed crops, floods, mounting debt and decaying towns.

In fact while the overall trend for suicide in Australia has been decreasing, in rural Australia suicide rates have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years.

The majority of its victims are men between the ages of 18 and 44.

In 2006, 1,799 Australians committed suicide.

In comparison 1,638 Australians died in motor vehicle accidents.

more suicides in Australia than killed in motor vehicles

2020hindsight · 14 November 2009

well gav, I would have thought that increasing fire risk and/or drought and/or floods and/or rapidly rising insurance premiums for these things were a contributing factor.

Country Folk are unlikely to be affected by the rising insurance for sea level near the coast I concede - but that is yet another "proof" that it's happening - I mean Exxon Mobil can fool some of the people some of the time, but they can't fool the insurance companies (otherwise called the "bookies")

Garpal Gumnut · 14 November 2009

2020hindsight said:
Country Folk are unlikely to be affected by the rising insurance for sea level near the coast I concede - but that is yet another "proof" that it's happening - I mean Exxon Mobil can fool some of the people some of the time, but they can't fool the insurance companies (otherwise called the "bookies")

Many of us in "the country" have beach houses or huts, and will be severely affected if rising sea levels occur.

gg

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