Progressing+attitudes+towards+climate+change


 * Climate Change is hazardous to your health ||
 * Smoking ||
 * Asbestos ||
 * DDT ||
 * Climate Change ||
 * Evaluating timelines ||
 * Current attitudes towards climate change ||
 * Progressing attitudes towards climate change ||
 * References ||

**How might we progress attitudes to climate change? **

A new study supervised by UWA Psychology Professor Stephan Lewandowsky and published in Nature Climate Change titled “The pivotal role of perceived scientific consensus in acceptance of science” found people are more likely to believe humans cause global warming if they are told that 97% of publishing climate scientists agree. 64.

However, Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions cautions against taking a purely analytical approach to communicating climate change science. 65.  Statistics and reports alone lack the ability to motivate change. Conversely, purely emotional messaging risks short-term peaked responses - followed by negative fallout that can be difficult to shift. A combination of both is therefore recommended, for instance using personal experiences that engage audiences, combined with accurate imagery that offers grounded examples and comparisons.

Another way to encourage progress is to consider basic human motivations.Over several studies, former Professor of Psychology Steven Reiss Ph.D developed a theory that 16 basic desires motivate almost all human behaviour. The desires he identified are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honour, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquility. 66,67.

This report identifies two focal points for the progression of attitudes and action on climate change:


 * **The continued development of strategies and messaging which articulates the issue in a compelling, relatable way for the general public and effectively counters climate denial activity in its many forms; **

 and


 * **Building the body of scientific data which demonstrates a clear connection between human activity and global warming - and presenting this in a way most people can understand and relate to. **

It is unfortunate however, that both actions rely to some degree, on gathering more evidence of harm to our environment and health. It remains to be seen at what stage consensus will be reached, before unified action is taken. Will the health of our planet - the earth systems that critically support not just our own species, but //all //life forms - be able to recover from the effects we have inflicted, or will the damage be mortal?

**Are we there yet? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Clearly, we have not reached the TTM stage of ‘Maintenance’ on any one of the four examples used in this project. This is particularly the case with climate change, though progress is underway. As the Transtheoretical Model suggests, evolution through its stages is rarely linear, and transitions back and forth through many of the stages can continue for extended periods of time. The issue with climate change is the scale of its potential influence. Though potentially lethal, smoking, DDT and asbestos use pose dangers to relatively confined numbers. An individual who accepts the evidence and takes according action cannot, however, avoid climate change.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Observing patterns of change with examples studied in this project, it is likely that we will not reach a tipping point of general acceptance and unified action in the short term. ‘Things’ therefore, are likely to get worse before they get better. The influences of anthropogenic climate change will continue. According to science, this will occur on an ever-increasing scale, as the cumulative effects of increased Co2 atmospheric concentrations build and the phenomena of feedback increases climate responses exponentially.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Next step **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">A possible follow on from this project could be a deeper investigation of attitudinal shifts in the climate change narrative. This would require quantitative and qualitative research which could be analysed through a range of framings (as an issue of health, social justice, ethics and food security, for example) and presented via trend mapping to present modelling of more specific projections for human responses to climate change in the short, mid and long-term future.