1. The Psychology of Climate Change Using Norgaard’s 2009 study and Whitmarsh’s 2011 study

2. Norgaard, 2009 Looking for why people deny climate change and/or why people and governments don’t take action The explanation:

3. Psychological/Conceptual Factors Why denial? To avoid these feelings Denial: three forms Fear Helplessness Guilt Identity Crisis Stress

4. Social/Cultural Factors 1.follow cultural norms 1.retain individual and cultural identity

5. Structural Political/Economic Factors 1.Fossil fuel industry influencing policy 2.Climate skeptic campaigns funded by fossil fuel industry (US issue) 3.Lack of quality in the media 3.5: “Balancing sides” in the media

6. Suggestions for Change 1.Build on positive success stories 2.Encourage effort on various levels 3.Part of motivated community 4.Provide feasible opportunities 4.5: Feed My Starving Children

7. Inaccurate/Incomplete Explanations 1.“Information Deficit Model” 2.Not caring enough to take action 3.Hierarchy of Needs 4.Trust that the government will fix it

8. Whitmarsh, 2011 This was done to question the information deficit model and to look at other factors as influencing skepticism about climate change.

9. How? There was a survey that measured: 1.Demographics (standard) 2.Pro-environmental behaviors (PEB, new scale developed by Whitmarsh) 3.General and science education 4.Self-assessed knowledge about climate change 5.Environmental values (NEP, new environmental paradigm, politics) The group being examined was the UK public (they were randomly selected in a postal survey in 2003 and 2008)

10. The Results 1.Overwhelmingly, people do not trust the media. This was the major change 2.Political orientation is strong indicator 3.Conclusively, what you know or think you know is not shown to have ANY impact on your amount of skepticism 4.Beliefs about climate change are fundamentally linked to worldviews

11. Suggestions for Change 1.Have to break down entrenched beliefs and work towards common goal 2.More information will not engage skeptical groups since they will see it through their own ideology 3.Constructive and motivating messages needed 4.Behavior change also depends on wider social and institutional change (can’t just be the individual)