When we hear distressing news, our first response is often disbelief.
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Even good news can take a bit of time to sink in, as we saw with some Olympic gold medalists.
But bad news can shake our trust and beliefs to the core.
Denial is a powerful protection we humans use when reality is tough, unbearable or frightening.
Climate change is a threat to our security, about life as we know it and how we expect it to be in the future.
That’s why many people are enormously comforted by people like Malcolm Roberts, the newly elected senator who denies climate change is happening.
No matter how unfounded in science, his conspiracies can reassure those who seek sanctuary from a frightening future.
Denial is a common response to loss, but can be transformed to acceptance over time.
People can move on from absolute denial but bargain with the climate threat: “perhaps it won't be as bad as they say”, or “we’ll find a solution, so need to worry now”.
Many people stay locked in this uneasy state, still protecting themselves so as to feel less alarmed than if they let themselves admit the whole story.
Others who accept the reality of climate change, and open themselves to learning the increasingly distressing implications, are courageously facing this fear. Engaging with reality can paradoxically be motivating.
The good news is that this cohort is growing. The burden is being shared, giving heart to those pushing for serious action. Recently, some 20 eminent citizens called on the government to declare a climate emergency in recognition that the future of human civilization hangs in the balance.
We are being warned. Have we the courage to listen and act?
Carol Ride is a psychologist and founder of Psychology for a Safe Climate.