Many people are doing many things to fight Climate Change. A lot of steps are being taken: expanding technologies like wind and solar power, building better batteries to store that renewable energy, and protecting forests, all the while striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A different set of people are also trying to fight the war against climate change on a different battleground: The mind. Few Psychologists are taking decisive steps to fight climate change in this battleground.
Many people feel a lot about climate change: They are anxious, worried, frustrated, concerned, devastated, overwhelmed, angry, hopeless, horrified, frightened, heartbroken, and afraid. Psychologists feel that simply having those negative emotions won’t accomplish much. If people don’t know what to do with these emotions, that can cause them to withdraw, freeze, to give up rather than taking action at an individual level. Climate change is already a growing threat to the mental well-being of individuals. Extreme weather events like wildfires and hurricanes can lead to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder in people of all ages, sometimes by causing displacement and food insecurity. Research also indicates that higher temperatures are associated with an increased risk of suicide and mental health-related hospital admissions. Many people are also experiencing climate anxiety or existential dread about the future of the planet.
It’s not unusual to have very powerful emotional responses to this crisis. Those who are experiencing extreme emotions might benefit from counseling or other mental health treatment—as well as some assurance that they don’t have to have all the answers. Psychologists and other influencers need to remind people that this is a systemic issue. People struggling with climate anxiety may feel personally responsible for saving the world. In addition to anxiety, many people, especially young adults, are experiencing anger over inheriting a problem they did not create. That can result in extreme reactions like what few activists did at the European art museum damaging art classics. Experts need to channel that anger into more constructive as Anger can be really powerful in motivating people to get involved. It is more useful than the passivity that can result from anxiety.
These days many parents are worried about how to navigate these complex conversations with Children on this topic. Psychologists advise not to lie to a child, because they’ll find out, and that just undermines their trust. We should bear in mind their emotional needs. We should not tell them the world is going to come to an end. As a society, we need to provide a support system to children who are directly or indirectly receiving messages about climate change. Kids need outlets. We need to identify ways to promote advocacy from an early age. UNICEF suggests talking about steps the entire family can take together, like recycling, reducing food waste, saving water, and planting trees or even raising awareness through social events, drama, musicals, debates, and so on.
On the contrary, there are few people, who refuse to acknowledge the existence of what we know and fear as Climate Change despite the fact that there is solid scientific evidence that the human-caused climate crisis is real. This is called Climate Denial. Some people strangely believe that hurricanes, droughts, and scorching heat waves aren’t signs of a climate crisis. There are few who express doubt or demonstrate staunch resistance to doing something about it or even talking about it. While many people kind of understand something is going on but are hesitant to act. Psychologists attribute the reason for this denial to be emotional evasive action of confronting harsh reality and desire to believe in a suitable outcome. In some other cases, some people might be a part of the oil and gas industry or driving big vehicles and don’t want to believe or replace their big cars with electric cars
How do you confront someone with climate denial syndrome, Firstly one would be to speak his language and discuss Climate issues that negatively impacts directly the person cares about. Secondly, we can be mindful to avoid the us-against-them mentality and aim to make conversations inclusive. One also needs to avoid misinformation. We should acquire skills in searching for and evaluating scientific claims and being aware that people are shown content based on algorithms. We need to help people fight their biases with correct data rather than some doctored feeds.
Then there are a few points to help empower people as suggested by psychologists. We need to follow those as the climate crisis can sometimes feel like a distant threat—something we can deal with tomorrow. But recent climate disasters and heat waves suggest otherwise. We need to connect with youth as they are the most impacted segment of the population. People who have a connection with a young person are more likely to care about and be willing to take action on the climate crisis. That will galvanize more action and raise the stakes for all of us. We need to be positive and do whatever it takes to feel hope. Many people find such meaning when they become part of a community, so it’s important to seek out others joining a community, like a local group; can also help you feel like you’re actually dealing with the problem, which is the sort of motivation many people need to continue. We need to take bold steps or kind of actions that have ripple effects like using solar and planting trees. We need to get out of our comfort zone.
Many of us are individually affected by Climate Change. In India, We have seen floods, heat, cold waves, drought, and cyclones. Monsoons have changed patterns: As an example, imagine rains during Diwali! The agrarian economy is deeply impacted creating human issues like farmers' suicides, and water shortages. Weather patterns have impacted the human mind globally. Collectively, we need to be emotionally strong to face this crisis together. The battle starts inside each individual’s mind. And we need experts in the field to help us.
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