OVERCOMING CLIMATE FATALISM RESOURCES

A collection of resources that address fatalism, a common psychological barrier to climate action, and strategies for motivating people to shift attitudes and behaviors.

 

 

 

Collection Resources

Climate and the Politics of Hope
Wen Stephenson, 2012, The Roost

An interview with author Mark Hertsgaard on his efforts to organize "Climate Parents" to combat denial and take action, as well as the need for a jobs and antipoverty message about climate change to attract more supporters.

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Tip Sheet: How to Overcome Climate Fatalism

Recommended ways to overcome a sense of fatalism about climate change from experts David Gershon and Susanne Moser.

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Empowering a Climate Change Movement: Low Carbon Diet and the Cool Community
David Gershon, 2010

An article describing the bottom-up climate change movement that is active in over 300 communities across the United States, focusing on the "Low Carbon Diet" and the "Cool Community."

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The Joy of Living Green
Barry Boyce, 2011, Shambhala Sun

How transformational ecology seeks to shift attitudes by reinforcing sustainable behaviors that help people discover, without scaring or scolding, that living green can improve one's quality of life and build community.

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‘I withdraw’: A talk with climate defeatist Paul Kingsnorth
Wen Stephenson, 2012, Grist

An interview about how an environmental activist has reconsidered "hope" and "sustainability" and embraced a fatalistic view toward the future of the planet.

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Communicating climate change motivating citizen action
Susanne Moser, 2008, The Encyclopedia of Earth

A paper that describes common psychological, social, and political barriers to civic engagement on climate change and the communication strategies that are necessary to foster collective action.

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Public Perception of Climate Change Voluntary Mitigation and Barriers to Behavior Change
Linda George, Jan Semenza, David Sailor, David Hall, Daniel Wilson, Brian Bontempo, 2008, American Journal of Preventive Medicine

A survey on public awareness, concern, and behavior change related to climate change that considered the cognitive, behavioral, and structural obstacles to mitigation, including skepticism and fatalism.

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Neural Responses Reveal Our Optimistic Bent
Andrea Anderson, 2012, Scientific American

A new study reveals that most people hold an "optimism bias" that staves off anxiety by downplaying the likelihood of risks and negative events, like climate impacts, but can also prevent individuals from taking necessary precautions.

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Psychology & Global Climate Change: addressing a multifaceted phenomenon and set of challenges
American Psychological Association, 2010, APA Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change

A report on the psychological dimensions of climate change with recommendations to assist and encourage the psychology community's engagement with the issue.

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