Scientists are often perplexed by the
political nature of the climate change debate. After all, whether or
not people accept the evidence supporting the existence of climate
change has nothing to do with politics—it has to do with whether or
not people accept scientific evidence.
However, the truly political
question—what should we do about climate change?—may be too
contentious a topic when we consider the psychological need for
consistency between our social and political identities, our
morality, and our behaviors. The desire to avoid inconsistency may
be driving our desire to avoid that second question—what should we
do about climate change? Instead, people focus on whether or not
climate change is real, hoping to avoid the ‘what to do about it’
debate entirely.
I teach a course at the University of
Hawai`i, Mānoa called “Cultural Community Psychology and Global
Climate Change.” This course explores how human diversity affects
the ways in which we respond to and are impacted by climate change.
In the short video mini-lecture below, I discuss how the
psychological concept cognitive dissonance may be increasing
the politicization of the climate change debate.
Kati Corlew, M.A.
University of Hawai`i, Mānoa
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