Using Psychology to Inspire Climate Action
The Climate Reality Project posted an article last month on how to motivate otherwise un-motivated people to take real action on climate change.
The article recommends four tools commonly used in the social sciences to break down apathy:
REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE. Connect climate change to demonstrable changes in real communities. Remember to "show not tell."
DO IT TOGETHER, DON'T GO IT ALONE. Turn climate action into a group experience to help create positive social norms. Peer pressure works!
MAKE IT POSITIVE, NOT NEGATIVE. Highlight the up-side, not the down-side. Some people would rather improve something than preserve something.
SUGGEST ACTION TO AVOID ENNUI. Lift your friends out of despair to battle ‘environmental melancholia.’ To coin a phrase, "yes we can!"
Read the full post here.