A Psychological Perspective of Climate Change

Climate change is a global challenge with different regions experiencing adverse weather events like heat waves, floods, and droughts. While natural phenomena like solar activity and volcanic eruptions contribute to climate change, current trends are largely driven by human activities In the quest to improve living standards and cater to the needs of a growing population, human beings engage in activities that emit greenhouse gases disrupting atmospheric composition and weather patterns. These activities include the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and overgrazing. Conversely, humans can modify their behavior to promote positive environmental outcomes. From a psychological perspective, human behavior is influenced by different factors that may be conscious or unconscious. This review explores psychological concepts that explain why humans engage in activities that contribute to climate change and suggests psychological approaches to promote behavior change. Information from the environment is perceived through the senses and processed to create meaning. Perception enables humans to process and evaluate information received from the environment, influencing decision-making and action. The interpretation empowers the mind to assess the relevance of the information, which is consequently stored in the long-term memory or dismissed. Cognitive processes, including motivation and attitude, are crucial in determining the vigor with which activities are undertaken. Human-induced climate change can be understood as a product of these psychological processes. This article explains how cognition, perception, and motivation underpin the human behaviors linked to climate change and how attitude changes can foster positive environmental practices. A holistic approach to climate change mitigation is recommended.