In recent weeks, large forest fires have licked up large areas of Greek holiday islands, sending thousands of tourists and local residents fleeing the flames.
According to a new study from the research group World Weather Attribution this would hardly be possible without man-made climate change.
At the same time waiting World Meteorological Organization WMO that July could be the hottest month ever.
– Climate science is alarming. If you are not alarmed, you have not taken it in properly, says climate psychologist Per Espen Stoknes to Dagbladet.
When all the newspapers flash blood-red heat maps on the front page while the cloud of smoke from a new forest fire smolders in the background, it’s no wonder that you can experience a solid dose of climate anxiety.
According to Stoknes, this is healthy.
– Huge transformation
– Can be a hindrance
– Do you have climate anxiety? is the first thing Stoknes says when he picks up the phone.
Dagbladet has made a phone call to the climate psychologist and BI professor to get some advice on climate anxiety. With record temperatures in several places in Europe and warnings that the Gulf Stream could collapse as a result of climate change, he notes that this is something that more people can feel.
– If people answer yes to that question, I say “bravo”. It is basically a completely healthy response, he says.
– But it can also be an obstacle. Then you need a community and someone to talk to in order to turn the anxiety into commitment to solutions.
– Must take climate seriously
According to a British study there are very few who actually suffer from climate anxiety – just a scant 4.6 per cent. The proportion who are very or extremely worried was much higher. This applied to nearly half of all participants in the survey.
Those who most often experienced climate anxiety were young people. Those who had other anxiety problems, and those who watched and listened to a lot of news, were also represented in the group.
In recent weeks, newspaper front pages around the country have been adorned with forests being devoured by the fire, and the faces of Norwegians who have had to run from the fiery hell in what was supposed to be a holiday paradise.
Such images and testimonials may seem grotesque and frightening, but it also has an effect on how worried the population is about climate change.
Record size!
Stoknes points out that it can often vary in the short term in line with variations in media coverage.
– We see that when there is a heat wave and climate extremes, the media write a lot about the topic. When the situation calms down, and the journalists no longer cover it, the concern among the population also calms down.
The climate psychologist believes this is a sin.
– There have been many such disasters in the past, and each time one likes to think that more people will start taking climate seriously, he says.
– Eleven years ago, hurricane “Sandy” hit New York. I caught myself thinking that now that climate change is coming to Wall Street, something will happen. It didn’t turn out that way, he continues.
– Extremely dangerous
– Attacks the messenger
Stoknes explains that our room for action is particularly weakened by two of the climate attitudes’ dimensions. These are whether global warming is man-made, and if so, whether this is something we will be able to solve.
– Many say it is too late, and that we are unable to solve it. Then you can quickly end up with a feeling that there is no point in trying, he says.
That is strange
If one perceives that climate change is something one cannot do anything about, then climate anxiety can increase.
Although anxiety is allegedly a healthy response, this depends on how one uses the psychological energy in the anxiety, Stoknes says.
– The less constructive ways can be to turn on psychological barriers, such as distancing oneself, suppressing it or getting angry and attacking the messenger.
A far more positive response could, for example, be to take action and get an outlet for the anxiety in concrete actions.
This could be getting a solar panel on the roof, moving the savings out of the fossil fuel industry, re-insulating the house or getting involved in organizations or in politics, suggests the climate psychologist.
The most important thing, however, is political action.
Summer is probably over
Comes with prompt
– We have all the solutions. It’s just about the community’s willingness to use them. Then it is a shame that the Storting is on holiday just when the greatest climate extremes are taking place, Stoknes believes.
In a few weeks, the stage will again be for municipal elections, where Norwegians can go to the polls to cast their vote, and signal their wishes for the future.
Stoknes has concrete advice for those who want to make a difference.
– The most important thing is how you vote at the next election. We must punish the politicians who don’t care, and reward those who take this seriously, he says.
2023-07-31 05:51:59
#Climate #fear #sunt
