OSLO, Aug 23 — Norwegian psychologists have investigated the links between people’s emotions and how they influence their mobilisation when it comes to environmental issues. Their findings suggest that anger is a powerful motivating force for environmental activism.
If you had to associate one emotion with engagement with environmental issues, would it be anger, fear or hope? This was the question asked of over 2,000 participants by psychologists from the Norwegian Research Centre. The adults who took part in the survey were asked to answer a series of questions, including how they felt about specific topics such as climate change, and then to rate (on a scale of 0 to 4) the intensity of their emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, guilt and hope. The results of this study, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, are unequivocal: anger is a powerful driver of activism. “Climate-related anger is present in Greta Thunberg’s speeches and the acts of Extinction Rebellion, but also in the rise of movements protesting climate policies, such as the Yellow Vests,” the researchers note.
In recent years, certain emotions have come under the spotlight with the climate crisis, particularly fear with the famous concept and term “climate anxiety.” “Some emotions—such as fear and hope—have received considerable attention in relation to climate change perceptions and engagement, while the effect of climate anger is less well known,” the study points out. When asked the specific, open-ended question: “What about climate change makes you angry?”, the adults who responded were very clear: the fact that the climate crisis is directly caused by human actions. In concrete terms, anger could lead individuals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, support climate policies (eg, increased taxes on petrol and diesel) and take part in demonstrations against climate change.
The researchers point out, however, that the relationship between anger and engagement in the fight against climate change is not always clear-cut, and may vary depending on the type of engagement in question. “It is possible that people are motivated to engage in climate activism because they are especially angry. However, it is also possible that they initially engage due to (for example) social reasons and become angrier as they learn more about the issue from other protesters or the protest organisers,” notes the study. As for other emotions, fear and guilt were the best predictors of political support, while sadness and hope were more associated with a change in individual behavior.
While the study may be interesting for organisations seeking to mobilise individuals for climate-related causes, it has several limitations, starting with the fact that it was carried out exclusively on a sample in Norway (a wealthy country and major oil producer) and that it is based on declarative statements by citizens and not on their actions. “Replicating the study in countries more vulnerable to direct impacts of climate change could yield other responses,” say the authors. Before adding: “Our findings illustrate the need to avoid simplistic discussions of climate emotions and their motivational potential.” — ETX Studio
