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Projected Behavioral Impacts of Global Climate Change.
1Department of Design and Environmental Analysis and Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA;
Annual Review of Psychology
|July 6, 2018
Summary
Global climate change impacts behavior through environmental shifts like rising temperatures and pollution. These changes can increase negative emotions, conflict, and psychological distress, affecting quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Climate Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Global climate change is projected to cause significant environmental shifts.
- These shifts include temperature elevation, extreme weather events, and rising air pollution.
- Such environmental changes are anticipated to have profound behavioral impacts on individuals and societies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the projected behavioral consequences of global climate change.
- To identify key environmental drivers and their associated behavioral outcomes.
- To highlight limitations and future research directions in understanding these impacts.
Main Methods:
- Review of projected environmental changes associated with global climate change.
- Analysis of anticipated behavioral responses to temperature elevation, extreme weather, and air pollution.
- Identification of research gaps and methodological limitations.
Main Results:
- Rising temperatures are linked to increased negative affect, interpersonal/intergroup conflict, and psychological distress.
- Extreme weather events (droughts, floods, storms) diminish quality of life, elevate stress, and may increase conflict.
- Air pollution can cause citizen concern, accentuate psychological distress, and curtail outdoor recreation.
- Children may experience delayed cognitive development due to extreme weather.
- Limitations include lack of direct experience data, poor spatial resolution, few rigorous studies, overreliance on self-reports, and limited investigation of moderators and psychosocial processes.
Conclusions:
- Environmental changes driven by global climate change are expected to negatively impact human behavior and psychological well-being.
- Further research is needed to address methodological limitations and gain a deeper understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms involved.
- Addressing these impacts requires a more nuanced understanding of direct experiences and robust, quasi-experimental research designs.
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