Anne van Valkengoed is a researcher at the environmental psychology group at the University of Groningen. Her research is focused on what motivates people to adapt to climate change risks.
Eat less meat! Don’t fly! Buy local! Recycle! There are many things individual consumers can do to reduce their carbon footprint. At the same time, individual actions can feel insignificant in the face of ever rising global CO2 emissions. Is a sustainable transition by consumers realistic?
Some psychologists say that people’s brains are simply not equipped to respond to slow-moving, global changes such as climate change. Others believe that understanding and promoting individual behavioral change represents a key solution to the climate crisis. In this talk, I will explore this underlying tension within the psychological literature on climate change. Is human nature a help or a hinder to promoting sustainability?