Written by Mackenzie Marcotte, intern at Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants and a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania.
When the world changed overnight, so did climate related conversations. It quickly became clear that to maintain climate momentum, we would have to revisit and refine how we talk about climate change. Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organizations to thrive. Positive psychology was established to complement traditional psychology with a fuller picture of the human experience that includes both behavioral deficits and strengths. The field is founded on the belief that people want to cultivate what is best within themselves. In medicine, the absence of disease is not necessarily good health, the same way the opposite of failure is not always success. Positive psychology strives for good, not just less bad.
Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants (BSEC) reached out to University of Pennsylvania Lecturer Kim Quick for tips on how to start compassionate, inclusive climate conversations. Kim is a graduate of the Master of Environmental Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches a course on sustainability leadership, and has earned a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology. Here we summarize BSEC’s conversation with Kim and the tips you can use to tackle difficult conversations.
Why is climate change so hard to talk about?
Humans have evolved to detect and solve immediate threats. Climate change is an abstract, slow burning threat that doesn’t trigger our psychological alarm systems the way tangible, immediate threats do. It’s easy to distract ourselves with the daily challenges of school work, careers, and relationships. But the difficulty doesn’t end there. Climate change conflicts with human psychology in a number of ways. It is:
Faceless (who do we rally around?);
Emotionally charged (cue the shaming, righteousness, and anxiety);
Abstract and overwhelming (out of sight, out of mind);
Long term (election cycles and public policy rarely look beyond a few years);
Global (a lot of opinions to manage).
Further, political affiliation and ideology impact climate change opinions the greatest, as seen in Figure 1. For many people, political beliefs are deeply rooted in emotion and personal identity. Nobody likes to feel alienated or unwelcome because of their beliefs, and it can be difficult to meet people where they are when you disagree strongly. Righteous anger and shaming those who aren’t doing “better” or following science is the easy response, but positive psychology can help us refine those instincts for more compassionate conversations.
How can positive psychology help us have better conversations?
At its core, positive psychology studies what makes life most worth living and is founded on the belief that people inherently want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. When we look for and celebrate the best in people, compassionate conversations are more likely to take place. Kim shared the following advice based on positive psychology principles:
Reflect on your own experience first.
Before you launch into an emotional plea, take a moment for self-reflection. Why do you want to have this conversation? What’s your personal agenda (we all have one)? How did you first become aware of climate change and what was your emotional response? What other issues inspire you? What conversations or topics make you uncomfortable? Try answering the same questions from the other person’s point of view.
Lead with vulnerability.
Try starting a conversation by acknowledging that environmental issues can be awkward to talk about, but they’re important to you. Start with phrases like “I’ve been thinking about…” or “I’ve been hearing a lot about...what do you think?” Admit that you don’t always have the right words, and you’re still learning, but you’d like to share what you’ve learned so far. Remember that you don’t need to be an expert to care; you only need to keep an open mind.
Listen more than you speak.
Resist the temptation to respond immediately or interrupt. Try leading with questions about what inspires or frustrates them. Can you meet them there? If it’s immigration, share an article on climate-related migration due to extreme drought. Women’s rights advocates may resonate with stories of women around the world leading inspiring climate action. Economy-minded folks might be interested to know that the global renewable energy market is estimated to surpass $1 trillion by 2025.
Invite them to your ideal future.
One of the most effective ways to engage people in your cause is to invite them to create a shared vision of the future. That may be a future with more bike lanes and neighborhood parks, cleaner water and air, or less intense wildfire and storm seasons. Leave the doom and gloom behind; in the long-term, people are better motivated by possibility and hope.
Laugh about it.
Need some help finding humor in a global crisis? Try sharing an article from The Onion, or a clip from one of the many late night show hosts tackling climate change, like Trevor Noah. As Cornell historian Aaron Sachs put it, “It’s an obvious joke, but environmentalists seem so hung-up on the abstract goal of saving the planet, that they come across essentially as anti-human. Which is kind of a turn-off if you happen to be human.” Setting a lighter tone from the onset can calm the psychological alarms that trigger when we feel attacked or caught off guard.
Respect boundaries.
If they clearly don’t want to have or continue the conversation, respect that boundary. If they seem open but hesitant, try sharing an article or video clip from a neutral source that might help them think constructively about how climate impacts their community specifically. You can also share this video and the ways that you’re trying to improve your conversation skills. If they aren’t interested, remember that forcing information on people only alienates them.
Article written by Mackenzie Marcotte, intern at Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants and a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania.
