Intro Several commentators have noted recently that, while I have plenty of critique for 350, Klein, Romm, and the climate cynics who have given up hope, I have not taken aim at fossil fuel companies, climate change denying Congress people, corruption in the US political system, or the cancerous doctrine of eternal economic growth. “Who …
Read more “State of the Blog Part 1: Blog Goals and Strategy”
For almost a year, I have been in an intensive climate change book group. Maybe a “study group” is a better word for it. We read a book a week, about climate change, social movements, denial, US politics, and so forth, and shared notes and discussion. It has been an enriching and enlightening experience for …
Read more “Let’s Read Together: A Bridge at the End of the World”
I have been using the term “Human Climate Movement” in my writing for several months now. I thought it would be good to clarify why I introduced this term, what it means, and why I think it is valuable strategically. The short answer for why to introduce the phrase Human Climate Movement is that there …
(For the confused, new readers: Naomi Klein and Joe Romm got into a fracas last week over comments Naomi made in an interview, blaming “Big Green” environmental groups for the country’s sorry emissions record. I offered the couple some “couples therapy,” counseling the pair to move past blame and focus on solutions. Romm made me very proud by responding to my …
You “know” that climate change exists. But how much do you really know? How current is your information? How deep is your understanding? Because climate change is terrifying, we have the tendency to purposefully not learn more about it, to avoid new information. I believe it is a moral, and strategic, obligation to fight this …
Read more “Learning about Climate Change is a Revolutionary Act: Top 5 Books to Educate and Empower”
I am honored and thrilled to see that Joe Romm had responded to my “Couple’s Therapy” article! Romm’s work has been very meaningful to me; his work has been a cornerstone of my climate education. So seeing my banner image with his byline was extremely exciting for me! I am going to mull all this over …
The Climate Psychologist opened to the public one week ago with the publication of my article “Living in Climate Truth”/ (alternatively titled) “Our Society is Living in a Massive Lie about the Threat of Climate Change—Its time to Wake Up.” It has been an exciting start. Living in Climate Truth has been shared on FB …
Read more “State of the Blog: Request for Reader Assistance!”
Reading the recent acrimony between Naomi Klein and Joe Romm reminded me of conducting therapy with couples. Here is the scenario that it reminds me of: A middle-aged married couple is distraught over their young adult son who seems relentlessly bent on self destruction. He abuses drugs and alcohol, is frequently involved in violent conflicts, …
Read more “Couple’s Therapy: Tough Love for the Feuding Naomi Klein and Joe Romm”
Humanity is at a crossroads. Will we go over the cliff of climate change? Will we stay asleep at the wheel, becoming the passive victims of floods, droughts, food insecurity, extreme weather, and disease? Or will we wake up to the terrible danger we are in, and fight back, together? Will we collectively rise to …
Read more “Let’s Open Source Strategy for the Human Climate Movement”
Since making The Climate Psychologist public a few days ago, and publishing my article on Living in Climate Truth on Alternet, I have been extremely pleased with readers’ responses. People have engaged in several ways: commenting, emailing me, and sharing articles on Facebook and Twitter. One reader even offered to help design the App that …
Read more “The Moral Imperative of Hope and the Wasteland of Climate Cynicism (W/ Glory Clip)”
Climate change threatens to destroy the global climate and cause human civilization to collapse. Given this grave set of circumstances, what is my moral obligation? What is yours? How is it possible to live a moral life under these circumstances? When the systems we live within fail so terribly, how can we, as individuals succeed …
Last week, TIME ran an article on the contributions that psychologists are making to understanding inaction on climate change. This is a good opportunity to acknowledge the work that other psychologists have contributed to this issue, and also to delineate differences in thinking between them and myself—particularly, that I think the focus on “individual action” …
Part I: A Psychologically and Technologically Informed Strategic Critique Introduction: The Human Climate Movement draws much of its strategy and tactics from the Civil Rights Movement; they engage in marches, demonstrations, and similar civil disobedience. For example, scientists and citizens handcuff themselves to the White House gates and face arrest, echoing the tactic of lunch …
(Return to Part 1: Strategy Analysis and Critique) Introduction In the previous section, I have delineated the ways in which the Human Climate Movement shares goals with the Civil Rights Movement, but differs in the barriers to those goals, and the technological context. I argue that both movements must 1) empower their membership, 2) …
I Introduction Our society is living within a massive lie. The lie says, “Everything is fine and we should proceed with business as usual. We are not destroying our climate and, with it, our stability and our civilization. We are not committing passive suicide.” The lie says we are fine—that climate change isn’t real, or …