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How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming:
hope-for-the-planet:
How to Talk and Think About Climate Change in a Brain-Friendly Way
Stoknes talks about the 5 psychological barriers to climate change action:
Distance: The idea that climate change is something that will happen in the far future or to people in far away places.
Doom: What Stoknes calls “apocalypse fatigue” and others have called “ecologial grief” or “climate anxiety”; being burnt-out on doomsday climate change news.
Dissonance: When what we know we should be doing conflicts with our society and lifestyle.
Denial: Avoiding or denying the topic due to discomfort or telling ourselves that we can’t make a difference.
Identity: When climate change action conflicts with aspects of our identity (culture, values, lifestyle, political affiliation, etc).
He also discusses 5 “brain-friendly ways” to reframe climate change and counteract these barriers:
Social: Make it personal. Focus on how our immediate communities can make changes to be more sustainable and resilient to climate change. Help establish environmentally positive social norms (ex. the spread of rooftop solar panels when people see that their neighbors all have them).
Supportive: Frame climate change in a supportive way, by talking about the opportunities for growth. For example, human health can be improved with plant-based dietary replacements, the rapid growth of the solar sector provides new jobs, and the challenges of climate change help fuel technological advanecments.
To foster engagement on a psychological level, we should provide at least 3 “supportive framings” for each 1 climate threat we talk about.
Simple: Create better “choice architecture” to make ecologically-friendly choices simpler and more convenient. Work to build an environement where positive choices are the default (ex. more people recycle when there are recycling bins around and a free pickup service).
Signals: Give people signals that demonstrate their personal progress as well as the progress of institutions and societies. People are motivated when they see positive consequences for their actions.
Stories: The human brain loves stories. Tell the stories of people of all different identities who are out there making a difference. Tell stories of the positive world we are all trying to build together. Give people climate heroes to emulate and strive for.
How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming:
hope-for-the-planet:
How to Talk and Think About Climate Change in a Brain-Friendly Way
Stoknes talks about the 5 psychological barriers to climate change action:
Distance: The idea that climate change is something that will happen in the far future or to people in far away places.
Doom: What Stoknes calls “apocalypse fatigue” and others have called “ecologial grief” or “climate anxiety”; being burnt-out on doomsday climate change news.
Dissonance: When what we know we should be doing conflicts with our society and lifestyle.
Denial: Avoiding or denying the topic due to discomfort or telling ourselves that we can’t make a difference.
Identity: When climate change action conflicts with aspects of our identity (culture, values, lifestyle, political affiliation, etc).
He also discusses 5 “brain-friendly ways” to reframe climate change and counteract these barriers:
Social: Make it personal. Focus on how our immediate communities can make changes to be more sustainable and resilient to climate change. Help establish environmentally positive social norms (ex. the spread of rooftop solar panels when people see that their neighbors all have them).
Supportive: Frame climate change in a supportive way, by talking about the opportunities for growth. For example, human health can be improved with plant-based dietary replacements, the rapid growth of the solar sector provides new jobs, and the challenges of climate change help fuel technological advanecments.
To foster engagement on a psychological level, we should provide at least 3 “supportive framings” for each 1 climate threat we talk about.
Simple: Create better “choice architecture” to make ecologically-friendly choices simpler and more convenient. Work to build an environement where positive choices are the default (ex. more people recycle when there are recycling bins around and a free pickup service).
Signals: Give people signals that demonstrate their personal progress as well as the progress of institutions and societies. People are motivated when they see positive consequences for their actions.
Stories: The human brain loves stories. Tell the stories of people of all different identities who are out there making a difference. Tell stories of the positive world we are all trying to build together. Give people climate heroes to emulate and strive for.