Climate change is fundamentally an anthropogenic problem: the large-scale environmental challenges humans currently face are driven by our collective behaviours on both an industrial and individual level [1, 2]. Over the last three decades, awareness of climate change has grown, and is near universal in countries such as the US and UK [2]. Despite this, global anthropogenic emissions continue to increase and climate pledges from G20 countries are still insufficient to meet the Paris climate goal of limiting global warming to 1.5° degrees [2,3].
While this discrepancy can be partly linked to differing political priorities between voters and policymakers on a national level, it also reflects a gap at the individual level: people know (or believe they know) what environmental behaviours entail, but do not put them into practice.
This gap between awareness and action is one of the key questions climate psychology seeks to address. As defined by the Climate Psychology Alliance, this discipline is concerned with the emotions and social and mental processes that shape the causes of, and responses to, climate change [4]. This includes examining positive responses to climate change, such as implementing pro-environmental behaviours, as well as negative ones, such as eco-anxiety and depression.
This article explores how understanding climate psychology can encourage more people to respond to climate change.
Structural determinants of behaviour
Before examining psychological factors, it is important to recognise that behaviour is not shaped by attitudes alone [2]. Structural factors like knowledge, cost and access can limit pro-environmental behaviours.
For example, reducing car use is far more difficult without reliable public transport or safe cycling infrastructure. Similarly, low-income households may not have the financial means to invest in energy-efficient technologies like insulation. Finally, not everyone is climate literate or has access to climate knowledge. For example, up to 98% of climate knowledge is only available in English, despite the fact that 6.5 billion people do not speak the language [5].
These structural and informational barriers highlight that climate action is not purely a matter of individual choice.
Psychological barriers to action
However, removing structural barriers is unlikely to be sufficient [6]. Psychological processes fundamentally hinder effective climate action. One influential framework is Robert Gifford’s “dragons of inactions”, which identifies seven key psychological barriers that prevent people from mitigating and adapting to climate change [6].
- Limited cognition. This includes both a lack of knowledge about climate change, and human failing to properly evaluate risk. Humans often incorrectly perceive climate change as distant and hypothetical – happening in other places, to other people, and in the future – because of the way our brains evolved to focus on immediate danger. This is referred to as psychological distance [7].
- Ideologies also inhibit action. Political ideologies, religion, and a general belief that all will be well or that technology will save us can all reduce motivation to change behaviour [8].
- Comparison with Others is also a powerful inhibitor: people tend to align their actions with those around them. In a study on residential power use, when homeowners were told the amount of energy the average community member used, they adjusted their use of energy to fit that norm [9].
- Sunk Costs, such as financial investments in cars or other appliances, makes lifestyle change feel wasteful or inconvenient [8].
- Discredence, which refers to climate denial and mistrust in authorities, can lead to disengagement and skepticism [8].
- Perceived risk is the range of risks associated with a change in behaviour. For example, if I bought a new bike, would it work? Would it increase the likelihood of an accident? How expensive is it?
- Limited behaviour refers to actions that feel meaningful but have little impact. One example is recycling which can create a false sense of progress because it often feels more effective that it actually is [6]. Another is the rebound effect, where expected environmental gains from a new more efficient technology are reduced because it is used more.
Overcoming psychological barriers
The discipline of climate psychology equips activists with a better understanding of barriers to action, which is essential to overcoming them.
One key strategy is reducing psychological distance. For many, the impacts of climate change need to feel close and relevant to instill a sense of urgency and encourage action [2].
Another powerful approach is leveraging social norms. People are more likely to adopt pro-environmental behaviours when their peers and community do, and this helps the communities build climate resilience [9, 10]. There is also evidence that community action can help alleviate climate anxiety [9].
Finally, visible climate campaigns coupled with the provision of clear information can help dismantle the structural knowledge barrier that so many people encounter [2].
Conclusion
Climate change cannot be solved by the natural sciences alone.
Social scientists like psychologists highlight the important role of behaviour change. Their insights are crucial not only for understanding inaction but help identify pathways towards more meaningful climate action.
