Cognitive and Behavioral Challenges in Responding to Climate Change
Climate scientists have identified
global warming as the most important environmental issue of
our time, but it has taken over 20 years for the problem to
penetrate the public discourse in even the most superficial
manner. While some nations have done better than others, no
nation has adequately reduced emissions and no nation has a
base of public citizens that are sufficiently socially and
politically engaged in response to climate change. This
paper summarizes international and national differences in
levels of knowledge and concern regarding climate change,
and the existing explanations for the worldwide failure of
public response to climate change, drawing from psychology,
social psychology and sociology. On the whole, the widely
presumed links between public access to information on
climate change and levels of concern and action are not
supported. The paper's key findings emphasize the
presence of negative emotions in conjunction with global
warming (fear, guilt, and helplessness), and the process of
emotion management and cultural norms in the construction of
a social reality in which climate change is held at arms
length. Barriers in responding to climate change are placed
into three broad categories: 1) psychological/conceptual, 2)
social and cultural, and 3) structural (political economy).
The author provides policy considerations and summarizes the
policy implications of both psychological and conceptual
barriers, and social and cultural barriers. An annotated
bibliography is included.
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Bibliographic Details
| Main Author: |
Norgaard, Kari Marie |
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| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
2009-05-01
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| Subjects: | ACCESS TO INFORMATION,
AIR,
AIR POLLUTION,
ATMOSPHERE,
CARBON,
CARBON DIOXIDE,
CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS,
CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING,
CLIMATE,
CLIMATE CHANGE,
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION,
CLIMATE DYNAMICS,
CLIMATE PROTECTION,
CO2,
COAL,
COLLECTIVE ACTION,
CONSERVATION,
CONTAMINATED SOIL,
CULTURAL NORMS,
DECISION MAKING,
DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES,
DISCOUNT RATES,
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES,
ECONOMICS,
EMISSION,
EMISSIONS,
ENERGY CONSUMPTION,
ENVIRONMENTAL,
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN,
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS,
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS,
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION,
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS,
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS,
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE,
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES,
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE,
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION,
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM,
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS,
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION,
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION EFFORTS,
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES,
ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES,
FARMS,
FOOD CONTAMINATION,
FOSSIL FUEL,
FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION,
FOSSIL FUEL PRODUCTION,
FOSSIL FUELS,
FUTURE GENERATIONS,
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE,
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES,
GLOBAL WARMING,
GREENHOUSE EFFECT,
GREENHOUSE GAS,
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS,
GREENHOUSE GASES,
HIGH EMISSIONS,
INCOME,
INTERGENERATIONAL EQUITY,
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE,
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS,
IPCC,
LEGISLATION,
NATIONAL LEVEL,
NEGOTIATIONS,
OIL,
OZONE,
OZONE DEPLETION,
OZONE HOLE,
POLITICAL ECONOMY,
POLLUTION,
POLLUTION CONTROL,
PROGRAMS,
PUBLIC ACCESS,
PUBLIC AWARENESS,
PUBLIC INTEREST,
PUBLIC OPINION,
QUOTAS,
RAIN,
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE,
SEA LEVEL RISE,
SNOW,
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY,
SOIL,
SPECIALIZATION,
STATE OFFICIALS,
TEMPERATURE,
TRIP,
WATER POLLUTION,
WEATHER,
WILLINGNESS TO PAY, |
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090519142931
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/4134
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