The Psychology of Climate Change: How to Build Consensus through Communication

Hear from George Marshall, Author of “Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change,” as we dive into the psychology of climate change.

If you follow this podcast, you probably already have a good understanding of the nature of climate change, the risks it poses and why we need to act decisively and with urgency. But many people don’t listen to the podcast, and even if they did, they might think it was a lot of nonsense. Depending on people’s worldview, values, and socio-cultural background, the same message can be interpreted in many ways. That’s why in today’s episode, we’re focusing on the psychology of climate change. We’ll be exploring questions such as:

·       What is it about the human brain that makes it so hard for us to accept the reality of climate change and take steps to address it?

·       How is it possible that, when presented with overwhelming evidence of climate change, even the evidence of our own eyes, we can still choose to ignore it?

·       And given our biases and shortcomings, how can we still find effective ways to communicate the dangers of climate change to audiences that are typically closed off to receiving those messages?

To find out more about the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate, follow this link: https://www.garp.org/scr

For more information on climate risk, visit GARP’s Global Sustainability and Climate Risk Resource Center: https://www.garp.org/sustainability-climate

If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback regarding this podcast series, we would love to hear from you at: climateriskpodcast@garp.com

Speaker’s Bio

George Marshall, Author and Climate Change Communication Expert

George is a consultant in the public communication of climate change, and the psychological obstacles to attitude and behaviour change. His key interest is the design of narratives that can build a consensus for climate action across the whole of society. His insights draw on hundreds of focus groups and structured interviews listening to people expressing their hopes, fears and doubts about climate change. 

His book “Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change”, explores the social and psychological obstacles to climate action. It is currently on its seventh printing and was listed by Esquire as one of the ‘15 essential books on climate change.’