How human psychology stifles the race to solve climate change: An article that delves into the mind’s shortcomings in problem solving

by Ryan Cui

Converging at crossroads with science, politics, and human nature itself presents one of the most daunting challenges in the 21st century: climate change. The alarming rate that pollution has entered our world has affected everything across the globe, from the way microorganisms function to the vast expanses of ecosystems that humans depend on. In recent years, the changing climate has heightened the severity and frequency of natural disasters, which the World Economic Forum believes “may lead to $12.5 trillion in economic losses and over two billion healthy life years lost by 2050.” The problem has been defined, researched, and understood for decades, yet humanity's approach to fixing this problem continues to be lacklustre. Despite the overwhelming evidence that our climate is headed for catastrophe, a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre found that 62% of American adults either consider climate change a minor problem or dismiss it entirely. The root of this failure to address the climate crisis lies within our own human psychology and the way our climate conundrum is framed.

Imagine you are presented with two boxes, each containing 100 balls. You are told the first box contains 50 red balls and 50 black balls. The contents of the second box remain concealed, although you are assured there are both red and black balls inside. Subsequently, you are told that if you pick a red ball, you win $100. Which box would you pick from? Known as the Ellsberg paradox, most people will always pick the first box regardless of how many times they are asked to repeat the experiment, simply because the contents within the second box are ambiguous. This behaviour, known as ambiguity aversion, is not just an economics experiment, but also a deep dive into human psychology and the way humans think about problems. Individuals prefer to focus on events in the present rather than worry about problems that appear far away, since future outcomes are so unpredictable. Humans think about climate change in a similar lens - as an obscure, distant problem. They believe the impacts of climate change will only affect future generations and harm only a small group of habitats. This psychological avoidance of an unavoidable problem only exacerbates the negative effects of climate change.

Furthermore, what makes climate change even more difficult to address has a lot to do with how it is portrayed. Oftentimes, media and climate experts express the need for urgent and immediate action. In theory, this should create a desirable call to action; yet, in practice, it has the opposite effect. When individuals feel guilt from their actions, they often distance themselves from the problem and adopt a passive stance. In fact, a survey from Yale University found that “two-thirds of Americans rarely or never discuss the climate crisis with family and friends.” People experience guilt when they recognize their actions harm the climate and they become passive bystanders, averting their attention from climate change. It becomes a cycle of neglect, which prevents progress from being made. This negative feedback loop permeates through social circles, from family members, friends, and even strangers on social media. Evidently, this becomes a complex societal issue that requires more than just a modest lifestyle change. It demands global cooperation. Combined with the fact that the current crisis has little noticeable impact on our daily lives, climate change becomes one of the most challenging problems for humans to face simply due to innate psychology.

While the road ahead may seem daunting, there is reason to be hopeful. Despite modern society having faced countless climate-related issues in the last century, we have always been able to collectively agree on taking action. One of the most prominent examples of this is the gaping hole in our ozone layer found in the 1980s. Aerosol sprays and canisters contained chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which chemically break down the atmospheric ozone, as scientists discovered later on. A hole in the ozone layer would result in an influx of ultraviolet light, which directly correlates with a higher risk of skin cancer. People understood the importance of an ozone layer, pondered the terrifying prospect of living without one, and decided it simply wasn’t worth having hairspray over. The problem was clear, easy to comprehend, and the solution was straightforward. As the first wave of communities started reducing the usage of CFCs, a trend formed, and others were influenced to do the same. Today, scientists predict the ozone layer will fully recover by 2050.

Fighting climate change requires more than just phasing out one chemical; it requires the same behavioural cues used to solve the ozone hole problem. Observing your neighbours taking strides towards reducing their own energy emissions becomes motivation for you to do the same. Opower, a software company dedicated to leveraging this psychological behaviour, has partnered with numerous energy companies across the world to publicly display the energy usage of neighbouring homes in a community, sparking a friendly competition to reduce emissions. Additionally, reframing the doom and gloom narrative of climate change to one that focuses on progress and advancements would promote engagement and drive more social change. There should be more emphasis placed on the successes we’ve had with new types of climate technology such as solar geoengineering, which focuses on decreasing the amount of solar radiation retained within the earth's atmosphere. Only through conscious and consistent efforts would we be able to reframe our climate conundrum into a climate solution.

As Benjamin Franklin remarked centuries ago, "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water." In the same sense, we must not delay the climate crisis until it reaches irreparable depths. Instead, we should harness our own psychology in the present and begin transforming the narrative around climate change - one step at a time, from mindset to movement.