Impediments - 318

Given the long-standing and massive accumulation of data on climate change, scientists, economists, and psychologists have  asked for years, "What prevents people from understanding the problem?"

To save myself a little time, I decided to ask Chat GPT the same question:

 "Please enumerate the various psychological weaknesses of climate deniers."

Here is the response:

Climate change denial is influenced by a range of psychological factors and cognitive biases. Here are some key psychological weaknesses often observed among climate deniers:

  1. Confirmation Bias: People tend to seek out information that confirms their preexisting beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them. Climate deniers may selectively accept information that downplays the seriousness of climate change.
  2. Cognitive Dissonance: When confronted with information that conflicts with their beliefs or behaviors (e.g., the impact of fossil fuel consumption), people experience discomfort and may reject or rationalize the conflicting information to reduce this discomfort.
  3. Motivated Reasoning: Individuals process information in a way that aligns with their desires and interests. For climate deniers, this may involve dismissing scientific evidence because acknowledging it could require changes in lifestyle or economic interests.
  4. Dunning-Kruger Effect: People with limited knowledge or competence in a domain may overestimate their understanding. Climate deniers may lack the scientific literacy to accurately assess climate science, leading to misplaced confidence in their incorrect beliefs.
  5. Identity-Protective Cognition: Beliefs about climate change are often tied to political, cultural, or social identities. Admitting the reality of climate change might feel like betraying these identities, leading individuals to deny the evidence.
  6. Social and Cultural Influence: People are influenced by the beliefs of those around them. If an individual's social or cultural group denies climate change, they may adopt similar views to fit in and avoid social alienation.
  7. Heuristic Thinking: People use mental shortcuts to make decisions quickly. For instance, they might downplay climate change by recalling recent cold weather, even though weather and climate are different concepts.
  8. Status Quo Bias: There is a preference for maintaining the current state of affairs. Accepting climate change often implies the need for significant changes in policy and behavior, which can be unsettling and lead to denial.
  9. Overconfidence Bias: Overestimating one's own knowledge and abilities can lead to dismissing expert opinions and scientific consensus on climate change.
  10. Framing Effects: How information is presented can influence beliefs and decisions. If climate change is framed in a way that seems alarmist or politically charged, it may provoke a defensive reaction and denial.
  11. Emotional and Psychological Defense Mechanisms: People may use denial as a way to protect themselves from the anxiety and fear associated with climate change, leading them to downplay or ignore the issue.

These psychological factors interact in complex ways, contributing to the persistence of climate change denial despite overwhelming scientific evidence.

In 2017, research psychologists Stephan Landowsky and Klaus Oberauer found that attitudes about climate change are primarily associated with political affiliation. I.Q. and other factors less influence a person's ability to accept the truth.

Also in 2017, Katherine Hayhoe was invited to write about anti-science attitudes in Scientific American. She zeroed in on one element: profound political polarization. She describes political polarization as " an unthinking, unquestioning adherence to the tenets of the tribe."

 Chat GPT had 11 factors, with #5 and #6 aligning with  Landowsky,  Oberauer, and Hayhoe.

In 2016, I wrote a letter to the editor titled "No more tribal voting." My source material for this came from books written by the eminent biologist and human observer E.O. Wilson.

Here is what I wrote in 2016:

"Let me make this as brief as I can. Science is not, in and of itself, political. It is apolitical. My recent studies in sociology, psychology, and evolutionary social biology all point to the same common denominator: the human mind is not scientific. We are tribal in origin. We have survived up until this point in history by thinking tribally. Scientists tell us this tribal survival wiring will no longer allow us to flourish.

Recently, Scientific American analyzed Mr Trump's and Ms Clinton's scientific acumen. The most points a candidate could receive was 5. Trump received zero, Clinton four. In a separate article, the tagline was, "His statements show a disrespect for science that is alarming in a candidate for high office."

Right now, 99% of all climate scientists, all national academies, and every prestigious science organization on Earth are telling us it is time to act. The first step to healing the Earth's climate has been taken: the Paris accord. Trump has said he wants to step back from our commitment in ignorance of the science.

Has much changed in eight years?

We haven't magically rewired our brains—we are still tribally wired—but there has been change.

Many people have died, and a lot of kids back in 2016 are young adults today.

Perhaps I am slightly too optimistic, but I think there is a slight shift toward critical thinking versus blind tribal allegiance. Tragically, this shift comes from what we see on T.V. and social media feeds. There are more forest fires, floods, and heat waves. Some people remember that climate scientists warned us we must switch to clean power or we would experience these catastrophes.

But if we are going to solve the climate problem, the question remains, 'How many people will break from the herd and reject tribal thinking?"

Ref: ScientificAmerican NOV 2016-trump-comments.

Scientific American OCT 2017, "Reason on the Ropes, The Roots of Science Denial" by Katherine Hayhoe.

Skeptical Inquirer MAR/APR 2017 "Why We Believe- Long After We Shouldn't"

Continuation next week: "Why Some People Choose Not to Know" from the Scientific American APR 2024

 

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