Climate Change and Psychology

Climate change is an environmental crisis that affects all life forms on the planet and has the potential to jeopardize their existence. However, in spite of knowledge or awareness about the impending danger, individuals seldom engage in acts that can limit or reduce the extent of effects of climate change. Recent researches indicate that for the adoption of environment-friendly climate change mitigation behaviours, it is imperative that climate change is seen as a psycho-social issue in addition to the already existing political and economic perspectives. This paper attempts to highlight the psychological issues related to climate change including mental health issues faced by individuals who experience climate change, psychological barriers to adoption of climate change mitigation behaviours and potential solutions to overcome such barriers as suggested by research in the field of environmental psychology.