HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

PREPARED BY
PRINSHA RAJAN & RESHMA KRISHNAN
II M.SC. PSYCHOLOGY
 CLIMATE CHANGE

Change in statistical distribution of weather over

periods of time that range from decades to millions
of years.
It can be any change in the average weather or a
change in the distribution of weather events around
an average.
 Climate change may be limited to a specific region or
it may occur across the whole Earth.
 It is a long-term shift in weather conditions
identified by changes in temperature, precipitation,
winds and other indicators.
 Global climate change can involve both changes in
average conditions and changes in variability,
including extreme events.
 Effects of global climate change are significant
additions to the spectrum of environmental health
hazards faced by humankind and other life on earth.
 Change in world climate would influence the
functioning of many ecosystems and biological
health of plants and creatures.
 There would be health impacts on human
populations too.
 Leads to starvation, infectious diseases, social
collapse and disappearance of whole population.
 CAUSES

Natural causes:
Natural factors that are external to the climate
system.
Changes in volcanic activity, solar output, Earth’s
orbit around the Sun.
 Human causes
 Burning of fossil fuels,
 Conversion of land for forestry and agriculture.
 The dominant product of fossil fuel combustion is
carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Most psychosocial effects are likely to be gradual and

cumulative.
Heat related violence, conflicts over resources,
threats to mental health, anxiety and despair.
Have disproportionate impact on those of less
economic privilege or social status.
 Extreme biophysical environmental events –
“disasters” or catastrophes.
 Large scale regional disaster impacts are increasingly
seen as prognostic of the world which climate change
is ushering in.
 The impact of climate change should also be situated
in the context of other environmental challenges

 Eg; resource depletion and loss of bio diversity, over

population, environmental pollution
 Psychosocial and mental health impacts of climate change

Fritze et al (2008) – extreme weather events are

likely to have immediate effects on the prevalence
and severity of mental health issues in affected
communities.
Experience ongoing disruptions to the social,
economic, and environmental determinants that
promote mental health
Create emotional distress and anxiety about the
future.
Mental health issues associated with natural and technological
disasters
Stress and emotional outcomes
Differentiating between normal and pathological worry regarding
climate change
Uncertainty and despair
Research on climate change related emotions
Numbness and apathy
Guilt regarding environmental issues
 Social and community impacts on climate change

Heat and violence

Intergroup relations
Displacement and relocation
Reactions to socioeconomic disparities
Social justice implications
 Moderators of impact

Proximity of climate – related events.

Sources of vulnerability and resilience.
Social norms, environmental identity.
Various types of cognitive appraisals such as
estimates of personal risk and attributions of
responsibility
And media representations of health impacts.
KEY THEORIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR
 Psychological barriers limiting climate change action

Ignorance
Uncertainity
Mistrust and reactance
Denial
Judgemental discounting
Place attachment
Habit
Perceived behavioural control
Tokenism and rebound effect
Conflicting goals and aspirations
Belief in solutions outside of human control.
 Role of Psychologists

Kauffman and Gutscher (2001) –

Command and control
Economic instruments
Infrastructure instruments
Institutional arrangements
Communication and diffusion techniques and
methods
 3 general contributions

Better models of behaviour based on empirical

analysis
Better understandings of individuals and
households.
Evaluation methods.