What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming: Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action by Per Espen Stoknes

What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming: Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action Reviews

• 
  John Kaufmann

  Excellent book, borderline 5-star. The book is about how people respond to messages about global warming, not the facts themselves. The author's goal is not on what facts about climate science the climate deniers and contrarians reject (i.e., he believes that even most conservatives fundamentally accept the science, but react to the implications on their value systems and deep-seated beliefs). Rather, his goal is on how to frame messages to avoid stirring some of the negative psychological reactions, and appealing instead to the psychological mechanisms to which they may be receptive.
  
  The author brings his experience and expertise in psychology to the analysis, using ideas from the various disciplines such as cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, social psychology, and depth psychology. I've read other analyses of why so many people (esp. American conservatives) are climate contrarians/deniers, all of which make some amount of sense. But this book was the best - in large part because it relies upon cognitive sciences to help solidify his thesis.
  
  I think the author's analysis is very perceptive. However, his prescriptions on what to do going forward remain, in my mind, relatively weak. I thought his basic strategic framework makes sense. However, when he got down to applying those principles with some concrete examples, I couldn't help thinking how insignificant they were and what little difference each would make. Maybe if his prescriptions and others were all applied comprehensively, the cumulative effect would make the difference. However, the odds of all of them being implemented are very low. It highlights, for me, what an immense task we face - and that we may not succeed in meeting it. I hope the author is right and I'm wrong; the only thing to do is to try, and he offers a reasonable starting point.
  
  
• 
  Johnham

  This book is great. It asks the question why - now that we have an overwhelming amount of evidence indicating that climate change is actually a thing - so many people still decline to accept the scientific consensus and act on it. Stoknes draws on several different fields of psychology (evolutionary psychology, social psychology, psychology of the mind etc.) and arrives at the conclusion that the doomsday prophets and fear-mongerers aren't helping at all. Many people who are presented with a doom narrative about our dying planet will be sent guilt-tripping and the immediate reaction is to either ignore it or be too put down to act constructively. I (being a biologist) have experienced this myself when trying to talk to friends and family about it. Stoknes claims it is only human to react that way when being talked to in that tone, and says that we must change the way that we talk about climate change to get other people on board and get something done about it. He gives several specific examples for what we can do. For instance, we can start to talk about investment in solutions against climate change as a sort of insurance in much the same way we have insurance in case our house should burn down. It might not be 100 % certain that your house will burn down anytime soon, but it comes very much in handy to have an insurance if it actually does.
  
  The main underlying thesis appears to be that it does not work beating people over the head with information they don't understand. Those who know and understand what climate change is about must talk about it in a way that is easily understandable and engaging to those that do not know.
  
  I'm not nearly as good as Stoknes at putting the case forward so I really recommend you to pick up this book. It is written in a sincere and tidy but funny and warm way.
  
  (The book is also available in paperback though I can only find the Kindle edition here on goodreads. I bought the paperback.)
• 
  Nahid Naghshbandi

  وقتی سریال تاج و تخت را می‌بینیم چیزی که از همه بیشتر نگران آن هستیم زمستانی است که در راه است. زمستانی که با خود مرگ را به همراه می‌آورد و آن وقت است که می‌خواهیم بر سر تمام ملکه‌ها و ‍پادشاهان و هر آنکه به دنبال کسب قدرت است فریاد بکشیم که دست از سر اهداف احمقانتان بردارید، فرقی ندارد کدامتان بر روی آن تخت لعنتی آهنین بنشینید وقتی که مرگ به سوی شما می‌آید. برای ما تماشاگران که مرده‌های متحرک را در شمال دیوار دیده‌ایم ضروریت مقابله با مرده‌ها چنان مشخص و عیان است که باورمان نمی‌شود سرسی لنیستر حتی پس از دیدن نمونه‌ای از این مرده‌ها به فکر سلطه خود است و اینکه دشمنانش را به دست این مرده‌ها بسپرد و خودش حکومت کند. به نظر می آید چشمهایش با مشکلات و طمع‌ها و بلندپروازی‌هایش کور شده که با وجود هوش سرشارش آنچه که در پیش رو است را نمی‌بیند. و نمی‌بیند در برابر زمستانی که در راه است دوست و دشمن هیچ معنایی ندارد و تنها مفاهیمی که باقی می‌مانند زنده‌ها و مرده‌ها هستند. انگار حالا ما هم در چنین وضعی گیر افتاده‌ایم دانشمندان از گرمایش زمین و تغییرات آب و هوایی می‌گویند. و ما به فکر جنگ‌های احمقانه هر روزه‌مان هستیم به دنبال موفقیت‌های کوچکمان دنبال یک قران را دو قران کردند دنبال زندگی‌های بهتر. البته که همه این‌ها حقیقت انسان هستند ولی با وجود اینکه خشکی‌ها سیل‌ها طوفان‌ها و آب شدن یخ‌ها را میبینیم فکر می‌کنیم هنوز هم فرصت هست و زمستان اول سراغ شمالی‌ها می‌آید و تا آن‌ها برای زندگیشان می‌جنگند ما به قدرت می‌رسیم و برای خواسته‌های روزمره‌مان می‌جنگیم. اگر تماشاگری به فیلم ما نگاه کند لابد همان فکری را می‌کند که وقتی ما بازی تاج و تخت را می‌بینیم. ولی آگاهی به اعمالمان به اینکه چرا انقدر بی‌تفاوتیم به اینکه چرا به گرمایش زمین فکر نمیکنیم هم کار ساده‌ای نیست و استوکنس در این کتاب به این پرداخته که چرا بشر این چیزها را نفی می‌کند. چرا مشکلات بزرگتر را نمی‌بیند. درست است که دیکتاتورها بر سر کار هستند درست است که هر روز برای اینکه امروز را به فردایمان برسانیم میجنگیم و درست است که بی عدالتی را آن‌هایی که در قدرت و ثروت هستند به ما اعمال می‌کنند و حالا آنقدر درگیری و مشکلات بر سرمان ریخته که وقتی برای فکر کردن به فردایمان نداریم و ذهنمان هم جایی برای دغدغه جدید ندارد. اما گیرم که عدالت برپا شد. گیرم که مادر اژدهاها بر تخت نشست و بردگی و ظلم تمام شد و عدالت به جای خود نشست و حقوق زن و مرد و کودک را به آن‌ها برگرداند گیرم که کارگر و نویسنده و هنرمند و معلم و ... به آزادی و حقوق خود رسیدند آن وقت کجا قرار است نفس بکشند؟ یعنی نمیبینیم که این جنگ جنگ مرده ها و زنده‌ها است؟ که همه این مسائل دربرابر زمستانی که در راهمان است با تمام دردهایشان هیچ هستند؟ لابد نمیبینیم! نمیخواهیم ببینیم. آنقدر بزرگ است که جایی برایش نداریم و فرار می‌کنیم گاهی حتی بهتر است باورش نکنیم اینطور لااقل کمتر گوشه ذهنمان را قلقلک می‌دهد. این‌ها را همه استوکنس از لحاظ روانشناسی بررسی می‌کند آنچنان دقیق و آنچنان با زبان صمیمی و راحت که یکهو به خودمان می‌آییم و میبینیم ای داد بیداد چقدر بیخیال بوده‌ایم و چه کلاه بزرگی سر خودمان گذاشتیم. نویسنده این کتاب چشم بندی که گذاششته‌ایم روی چشمهایمان را برمی‌دارد می‌گذارد بیشتر به خودمان به عنوان انسان آگاه شویم بیشتر خودمان را بشناسیم چه در رابطه با زمین و چه در رابطه با بشر و هرچیز دیگری و آنگاه راه حل میدهد ومی‌گذارد که خودت را دوباره پیدا کنی و نشانت می‌دهد که پنجره دیگری هم برای دیدن هست. پنجره‌ای بزرگتر برای دیدن بشر روی این کره خاکی. پنجره ای که در آن ما دیگر صاحبان زمین نیستیم و تنها بخشی کوچک از این دنیای بیکرانیم. برای من خواندن این کتاب مثل تنگری بود که به خودم بیایم و سعی کنم بیشتر به بودنم در این دنیا جایگاهم و وظایفم فکر کنم. کتابی که من را نه تنها با گرمایش زمین و تغییرات آب و هوایی بلکه با خود من درگیر کرد.
• 
  Gustė Stasevičiūtė

  Such an enlightening and wonderfully written book. I loved it.
  
  ‘More often than not, it is actually behavior that determines attitudes, not the other way around. If our lifestyles are far from climate-friendly, then our attitutes tend to follow.’
  
• 
  Anna Isotalo

  I very much enjoyed the first two parts of the book, but the third existential part was (for me) honestly a struggle to go through.
  
  Yet all in all the book is an excellent guide on how to communicate better about climate change.
• 
  Snorre Lothar von Gohren Edwin

  Its lots of good thoughts on how to think about climate change. It is from a good psychological perspective that is worth reading about. Only reason it did not get a 5 is because it could become a bit heavy at times, because of the complex thoughts. Existential thoughts
• 
  Joyce

  This book started a little clinical for me but by the end I was reading through it faster and faster. The change in how we frame the story and tell the story is crucial. As is the grounded optimism. Although he might not know it, much of his thinking is echoed from other directions, so this is another data point, coming from a scientific viewpoint, articulating the importance of changing how we look at our world. No blame, no name calling, just a call to think beyond the boundaries we have been taught to see.
• 
  Nina

  3.5
• 
  Molly

  I highly recommend this book to anyone who is frustrated in this era of "alternative facts." The book dives deep into the psychology behind those who dispute the existence of climate change, and or believe in it but neglect to take action. It also presents practical solutions for how to talk about climate change in a way that better resonates with different audiences.
  
  I do think the last third of the book doesn't quite fit with the rest of it; it's interesting, but doesn't belong here.
• 
  Mark Valentine

  Stoknes organizes his book into three sections lifted straight from Aristotle: Thinking (theoria), Doing (praxis) and Being (poeisis). From there, it could be any number of books--it could be a socio-psychological study of climate deniers; it could be an inspirational [no pun intended] book for reclaiming the vision and sensation of being a fulfilled organism; it could be an action plan on how to enact the changes that need to be made; it could be a textbook for studying responses to this complex issue that threatens, well, civilization (maybe something we don't deserve).
  
  For all of this, Stoknes never condescends, never harangues. He uplifts, inspires [again, no pun intended], and narrates personal stories. I found it the right book to be reading now (isn't it cool when this happens! I hope you experience this too!)
  
  Finally, and most importantly, step back (he writes) and learn from deniers; much of the resistance stems from fear and anger (a response from fear) from having to surrender low-cost fossil fuel. The chaos amidst this transition might be a reason to shut down but this is the opposite response Stoknes advocates. He advises greater vigilance.
  
  Well worth the reading. A book to grow by.
• 
  Erik

  Stoknes's point about being positive instead of negative in communicating about climate change is part of an ongoing debate. Do you need to scare people about melting ice caps, wildfires, and coastal storms? Or is scaring people counterproductive?
  
  Much ink has been spilled to argue both sides. "What We Think about When We Try Not to Think about Global Warming" won't end the debate, but if offers some good ideas if you're willing to try a positive approach.
  
  After watching his TED talk I hoped this book would be more accessible for a wider audience and rely more on storytelling than on exposition. Now, having read the book, its use of psychological concepts and some jargon makes Stoknes's text of primary interest to professional climate communicators rather than a lay audience.
  
  Unless you work for a university, foundation or environmental activist group, you can probably get the core of Stoknes's argument on how to overcome mental barriers to climate action from the TED talk:
  
  
  https://www.ted.com/talks/per_espen_s...
• 
  Duncan Noble

  Finished reading this last summer. Very good. I'll try to post more later.
• 
  Emily

  Many people think that books about climate change are only going to remind them of the grim facts of climate change to make them feel guilty and potentially suggest some basic individual-level solutions to help them alleviate that guilt. I myself was one of these people, not that long ago. Stoknes' book has helped me realise that the guilt narrative is not the only narrative in climate change literature. What We Think About When We Try Not to Think About Global Warming outlines causes that are deeply rooted in human psychology for why the human race has still not solved climate change and suggests some ways of hijacking our psychological tendencies for solving climate change instead. It made me feel less guilty for not always having climate change at the top of my mind! The solutions were also useful, as someone trying to communicate about climate change in a way that is effective. I have not given this book five stars though because Stoknes is a bit too fond of generalisations and rambling. Don't let that stop you from reading this though - it's an important contribution to climate change literature.
• 
  Pam Kennedy

  This is the book anyone concerned almost as much about many folks' attitudes ( ranging from distancing to denial) regarding climate change as about climate change itself! The author clearly describes the all to human reactions that make communicating - even with our cherished family members and closest friends - about global warming, the escalating changes in the climate and ecosystem and the role of humans in this, so difficult. He gives strategies for reframing how information is presented and possible solutions are suggested so that it is accessible and positive. The last section is a lovely ode to nature and our integral relationship with the wonderful, fragile world.
• 
  Dani Scott

  This is a fantastic book. Well researched and full of clear information on the psychology of climate change denial. If you have anyone in your life that is a "nonbeliever", this book will do you a world of good. As the author says: If the current way we present climate change research is not working, let's change gear!
• 
  CM

  Exploring various subfields of psychology to explain why people are not working on this one big issue of our time. It can be a 3- or 4- star read if you do not come from a psychology background. The last of the three parts, "Being" can be quite an unusual addition to readers less accustomed to the existential school in psychology.
• 
  Rosaly Byrd

  A great read for any climate communicators. Really helpful and useful information that has completely changed the way I discuss and communicate issues of sustainability and climate change. Definitely recommend it!
• 
  Nicole Conlan

  Really interesting points about talking to people who don't believe in climate change. The last chapter was pretty philosophical and a little over my head, but I'm gonna give it another go. Would have liked more of Part 2 and less of Part 3.
• 
  Heather

  I used this book as "guidance" for creating an interactive conference workshop. Good outline of the psychological barriers, and how we may start to overcome them.
• 
  Marienbooks

  i give the book a 3.5 however it is an easy read and an important book everyone should read
• 
  Lindsay Smith-Munoz

  Even if you are not feeling confused despair about the prevalence of climate change denialism, this is an interesting read.
• 
  Jan Stanton

  A lot of food for thought and discussion with others.
• 
  David Harestad

  Good book, but the part about breathing was for me borderline woo woo, skip it if you want