(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Anger A Catalyst for Climate Activism & The Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-08-26  

Norweigan researchers recently conducted a study that revealed that anger was the most important catalyst for climate activism. The study predicted anger is seven times more likely than hope to promote active engagement.

“The problem isn’t that people feel too scared about climate change,” said Thea Gregersen, a climate psychologist at the Norwegian Research Centre and lead author of the study. “The problem, in Norway at least, seems to be that they’re not scared enough.”

The study involved 2000 adults from Norway and determined that “fear and guilt were the best predictors of policy support, while sadness, fear and hope were the best predictors of behavioural change.”

Faced with rising reports of ecological anxiety, psychologists across the world are racing to understand how people’s feelings about the destruction of nature affect their mental health and behaviour. But the few studies to interrogate the link between emotions and actions have shown mixed results. - snip- But messages that make people angry can also push others to shut down, particularly if they feel powerless. There were robust studies from health psychology that showed communicating risks could backfire if people were not also told how they could protect themselves, said Lorraine Whitmarsh, the head of the UK’s Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations, who was not involved in the study. “People really need to feel they can make a difference on climate change. And it’s much harder to make a difference on climate change than it is on health risks, because it’s a great big global collective problem.”

The Guardian article detailing the outcome and reaction to the study also evaluated the role of hope in climate activism, citing a review study that evidences an increase in hope generating more involvement in climate action.

“Even there, the relationship seems to be more the other way around,” said Lea Dohm, a psychologist and co-founder of the German climate action group Psychologists for Future, who also was not involved. “It may be less that hope comes first and then brings action, but rather that people act and then hope arises.”

The Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels takes place in New York City on September 15 and 17 to coincide with Climate Week and the UN Climate Ambition Summit. Demonstrations are also planned across the country and internationally. Information on transportation is available on the site.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/26/2189823/-Anger-A-Catalyst-for-Climate-Activism-The-Global-Fight-to-End-Fossil-Fuels

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/