Essay by Eric Worrall
According to New York Licensed Psychologist Jennifer Keluskar, people suffering climate anxiety should set aside self doubt and wholeheartedly commit to environmental action.
The Psychology of Climate Change
Don’t let emotions stop us from saving the planet.
Posted July 7, 2023 | Reviewed by Davia Sills
Jennifer L Keluskar Ph.D.
Alone TogetherKEY POINTS
- The best way to deal with climate change anxiety is through environmental action.
- Feeling self-conscious about eco-friendly behavior can prevent people from taking action.
- Environmentally concerned people might need to confront their fear of being judged by others.
- Self-conscious emotions about environmentalism can be addressed through validation, openness, and flexibility.
Recently, I stopped by my town hall carrying a box of garbage. I was donating plastics to the Nex Trex Recycling Initiative, which uses disposables to create park benches. While some might think this was an ordinary errand, for me it required a dose of bravery. I had to go alone, with my hemp backpack in tow, and explain myself to the security guard with the quizzical look.
My motivation to help the environment is fueled by climate change anxiety, which has left me tossing and turning more nights than I would like to admit. While it’s a good thing that people respond to this kind of anxiety by engaging in environmental action, we should also consider how certain emotions might prevent us from following through with eco-friendly efforts.
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When it comes to acting in a way that shows I care about climate change, I also worry about being judged by others. I might not make an explicit point about why I want to walk instead of drive, but I don’t hesitate to show off my electric car or the solar panels on my roof. I guess on some level I feel society values consumerism, and therefore I am less concerned about being judged for stuff I bought. At the same time, research suggests that a cognitive bias known as the balancing heuristic leads people to believe they are compensating for the environmental damage they cause by purchasing goods labeled as “eco-friendly.”
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Read more: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/alone-together/202307/the-psychology-of-climate-change
There is something disturbingly medieval about Jennifer’s prescription for climate anxiety.
The Children’s Crusade, a 13th century attempt to convert the heathen, after Saladin turned the tide against the Crusader states in the 12th century, was composed of anxious children who felt their parents had failed God.
The kids followed a boy who claimed to be guided by divine visions, who convinced thousands of other kids to leave their parents and join him on a peaceful mission to the Holy Land.
The poor kids never made it to Jerusalem. Many of those who survived crossing the Alps accepted Genoese offers of free passage across the Mediterranean, but the kids were deceived. Instead of taking the kids to Jerusalem, the Genoese took the kids to Tunisia, where they were sold to Berber slave traders.
Update (EW): Campsiefellow points out there is some historical controversy about what actually happened, whether the Children’s Crusade was one or multiple events, what happened to the kids, and whether the “children” were actually kids or poor people.
My climate activism is to trash Climate Science.
The settled science is no where near being settled – an autopsy of the 97% consensus, revealed it was nearer 2% – also remember consensus, is not proven fact
Personally, I put my faith in the almost 40,000 signatories of the Clintel WCD and Oregon Petition, they seem far more competent and unbiased
This is more like Eric Hoffer’s True Believer, who seeks fulfillment in a political movement. The content of the movement did not matter, so Communists could readily become Fascists, and vice versa.
Being in a psychological place where they could ask “ Is this a good idea?” was not something they were capable of.
She is not doing therapy, but cheerleading.
Fascism is nothing more than one of the stepping stones on the way to communism.
The brainwashed preaching to the brainwashed, like an echo chamber.
Nowadays, it is fashionable to major in “journalism” and minor in psychology.
The daughter of my cousin did that and became bipolar in her junior year, likely because the structure of her taught views clashed with her traditional upbringing
Some people say, it was Pence’s fault, which is BS, because the fix was in before the 2020 Election even started
Being bipolar is probably organic, and psychogenic models have not worked out.
Lives in Long Island New York.
Home of rampant consumerism and wokist hypocrisy. 🙂
That is where 280,000 ballots-for-Biden we filled in, months before the 2020 Election, illegally shipped in USPS boxes and USPS truck across state lines, to Pennsylvania, to help Biden overcome his ballot deficit; 20 Electoral votes were at stake
The people afflicted by climate change anxiety are ones that have little else on their minds, and it figures that a psychologist or some other academic would come up with a theory like the one she proposes. Chances are also good that that the ones that are supposedly worried about the “problem” aren’t going to change their lifestyles to combat it.
and they are all miserable people
I have little doubt Ms Keluskar also justifies COVID lockdowns, vaccine mandates and masks.
Keep your children away from this person..
A virus on humanity one could reasonably presume
Seems she has deep-seated “climate anxiety” herself.
Not someone that anyone should turn to for a cure.
The best cure for climate anxiety, is to realise you are being scammed. !
Absolutely.
Climate Science is a bogus discipline.
Geology is the real deal.
In the ’70s, some guys I grew up with- tried very hard to convert me to bible fundamentalism. Since I always like to listen to all points of view- I let them preach to me. The preaching included informing me about The Creationist Institute or something like that in Texas, which published books on Earth history and evolution. I never took a college course in geology so when I read these books- they seemed almost to be scientific- using real geology terms- but something just didn’t seem right so I went to a university bookstore and bought every geology text book there including for advance courses. I then read all of them- somewhat superficially of course- but well enough to realize how fraudulent is that Creation Institute. I realized that the authors of those Creation Institute books actually knew enough about real geology to make up this fake version of geology. As the years have gone by I continue to read geology and lately I watch some fantastic geology YouTube channels- where they use 4k and 8K cameras. I also have visited many National Parks where I always look at the geology. I’ve spent 50 years as a field forester which was nice- kept me outdoors, but if I had to do it over again, I would be a field geologist or perhaps a paleontologist. Geology is a fantastic science- I love it- right up there with astronomy- and it does have a lot to say about our planet’s climate- more than “climate science”, which is still immature and dominated by fakes- like the people at that Creation Institute.
Joseph,
Geological field studies in action. Enjoy:
Iceland Volcano Update – Interesting Thermal Drone Scan Results
Up and running.
Litli-Hrútur eruption, Reykjanes LIVE!
Climate Science could become legitimate again, if they would abandon the climate models.
Current computer technology is inadequate for a true dynamic computational fluid analysis at a sufficiently fine scale. Maybe in a hundred years, with real quantum computers, it could be done.
James,
Climate Science must be applicable to the atmospheres of all terrestrial planets and moons if it is to ever return to the principles of science, which are – measured data first, ideas second, models third. Stephen Wilde and I have been doing this in our studies of the atmospheres of Earth, Venus and Titan with increasing understanding and success. We have now analysed the low-pressure carbon dioxide rich atmosphere of the planet Mars using published atmospheric data and have refined our modelling concepts into a new paradigm of increasing relevance and explanatory power.
People suffering climate anxiety should set aside self doubt and wholeheartedly undertake thorough due diligence to find out if they are receiving all the available information on the climate issue, or just one side of it. It’s otherwise known as getting a second opinion, it’s what intelligent, rationale people do before committing to any kind of major action.
The late Dr S Fred Singer (with Roger Revelle and Chauncey Starr) put it this way: “Look Before You Leap“
Whoa!
The science is settled!!
Nothing to see here.
Do as you are told, or else more surveillance and enforcement of everything
“Seems she has deep-seated “climate anxiety” herself.”
Or maybe she isn’t getting laid. 🙂
As always with these people, a thorough check of their interests, agendas, affiliations and funding, is always the right thing to do before handing over your bank details
Eric is totally wrong about the kids being sold in Berber slave markets. Slavery was only invented in the America in the17th century
Yep, my bad…
How droll… 🙂
I hope people catch your sarc.
Obviously Doc Brown visited the ancient past and Marty dropped his CRT school text book.
They never made a “Back to the Future 4” so they couldn’t go back and retrieve it.
I blame Hollywood for the mess we’re in!
Here we go again…..
i.e. Closed, slow and dull minds fixating on The Actual Words, ‘minutiae’ or emulating contemporary ‘experts’ and telling her, other people, that they are = wrong
An ‘expert’ being someone who ‘Knows everything about nothing and nothing about everything”
Once you take that on board, she and skeptics are actually on the same side, Greta also.
Because what she’s activating for is ‘rebellion’ in its purest form.
She is saying that her life has become controlled, enclosed and suffocating (boiling frog syndrome) and that she’s found release by doing something – by getting off her ass, getting out, meeting & engaging with Real People and by being mentally & physically active.
Or certainly more of those things than while she was (previously) the frog in
the pan of water while the heat slowly and inexorably rose.
(Could Covid and lockdown provide any clearer/better example of that suffocation in action)
Really simple basic stupid little things – things that High Brow Intelligentsia, Super Scientists and Legal Lawyers all look down upon and mock.
Organic natural things.
And the folks who mock most and who mock the loudest are folks who think they’ve found something better.
i.e. Drug addicts ##
She rebelled. She jumped out of the pan.
Isn’t that the definition of ‘skeptic’?
And she found release. She found happiness. She found purpose.
She rediscovered what it is to be Human and NOT a Governmentally created/trapped clone/drone who spends their lives going through Governmentally imposed motions while Government imposes ever more restrictions, more controls and more costs (all manner, not just financial) on herself (and us all) as she previously sat in the pan of water.
Waiting for something to happen that never does.
Pretty well what happens when you ‘pass away’
The Frog in the Water never notices the rising heat because it was dead already when it climbed into the pan
OK, as is The Modern Way, she is ‘doing everything wrong‘ but that is the very thing she’s escaping from – being told/controlled into ‘doing someone else’s ‘good’
She wants to do her own ‘good’ – not what somebody else tells her. And charges her money/time for doing it.
She wants to spend her money and her time in her way.
That is the heart of what she’s advocating.
Folks who tell here she’s ‘wrong’ are just as controlling as whoever had their fingers on the hob heat control.
We’re soooo fond of the Chinese Proverb about ‘interesting times‘ but what about the one concerning ‘journeys’
How ‘journeys’ (of 1,000 miles) start with single steps and that 99.999% the time – The Journey reveals itself as much more pleasurable, fun and profitable (NOT esp financially) than the destination turns out to be
She is ‘Learning to dance’
That ‘money’ is not the be all and end all
There goes another proverb, one we all know it and most of us all know it wrong…
About Money and Evil, or strictly, the ‘love’ of money, not the physical actual stuff per se
## Money (power & control) is The Drug
Here we go again…..
i.e. Closed, slow and dull minds fixating on The Actual Words
Ah, The Actual Words don’t mean what they Actually Say they mean, they say what you say they mean which is different from what they Actually Say.
You sir, are a saint.
“You sir, are a saint.”
I saw what you did there (;-))
If there is anything for normal people to be anxious about, it is the climate agenda, and the effect the totalitarian control, energy supply disruption/cost, and the economic suicide and hinterland destruction that goes with it with.
You got that right! If anything keeps me up at night it is the fear I will end my days living in a cold, dark house (or a hot, dark house in summer) while driving around in an ancient car that I can barely afford (or find) gasoline for. I have dark visions of gathering firewood and trapping small animals for needed protein if fossil fuels and meat are banned….I am only in my mid-50’s and I surely hope that this green crud will get shot down and will fade away.
I have no fear of the weather, only of those who terrorize ignorant people by using natural disasters to push a truly misanthropic agenda.
Well first of all i do believe doing something when you feel anxious will help, even so it might completely the wrong thing!
So in that regard the psychologist is spot in IMHO..
That recycling example however is a pure environmental topic and has nothing to do with climate alarmism.. while this example is not particular efficient, recycling often makes sense .. and this sets it apart from many climate measures!
Isn’t this how Jim Jones got started?
yes and Ms Keluskar will be on hand with iced glasses of Kool Ade on hand for the faithful about to meet the ecstasy
People on WUWT tend to pride themselves on keeping to the evidence when making statements. Strangely, when it comes to religious topics this attitude often flies out of the winter and the writer writes stuff that has about as much basis on facts as does climate alarmism.
An excellent example of this is the above version of the Chidren’s Crusade. There are as many myths associated with the Children’s Crusade as there are about the current state of the climate, as indeed as there are about the Crusades themselves. For a more-informed description of the Children’s Crusade have a look at the article on Wikipedia. Yes, Wikipedia sometimes gets things right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Crusade
Raising the topic of the Children’s Crusade is a metaphor for a failed effort by naive people. As Eric says, “The kids followed a boy who claimed to be guided by divine visions, who convinced thousands of other kids to leave their parents and join him on a peaceful mission to the Holy Land.”
Even if it didn’t happen that way- what’s happening now in the Climate Crusade seems to be more of a “divine vision” forcing people to wrong conclusions and wrong efforts with terrible consequences.
Whenever a figure of speech of comparison is used there’s always the problem of the main point of the comparison is lost and other things in the comparison become a distraction.
I was going to get into the difference between a “parable” and a “fable” (“and the moral of the story is …) but I’ll refrain.
(Not claiming to be an expert. I’ve just learned some things and try to pay attention.)
Fair point, I should have mentioned the historical controversy. Thanks for your feedback, updated.
“When it comes to acting in a way that shows I care about climate change, I also worry about being judged by others.”
Sure, no one enjoys being judged as gullible. But there you are out in public, acting out your beliefs of climate danger. You swallowed the bait, “hook, line, and sinker.”
Her environmental action should only be STOP USING FF, but her pretzel logic is to do anything BUT stop using FF.
What is it about leftists that they can look at the obvious and conclude just the opposite – they live in an upside down world
In my very competent opinion, it is climate alarmism that is causing all the anxiety and for a reason!
The best way to deal with climate change anxiety is to get really, really angry at the lying liars who push climate alarm for fun and profit (mostly for profit).
The most grimly amusing part of the whole of climate emergency is that the climate itself is just chugging along showing no unusual behavior at all.
The climate emergency is actually a chicken-little emergency. Screamers have cornered the megaphone market.
This whole climate thing reminds me very much of how Columbus tricked the Caribbean natives into providing provisions for him and his crew. Columbus knew that there would soon be a lunar eclipse, and when the natives told him he had worn out his welcome, he told them that they better keep providing otherwise he would make the moon go away. Well, a couple of nights later, the moon did indeed begin to vanish, terrifying the natives. So in order to protect the moon from being destroyed, they agreed to keep supplying Columbus and his men. Columbus used a natural phenomena to get his way.
Flash forward to today, where gullible people are told “if you don’t stop using oil/gas/coal, eating meat, using AC, gas stoves, cars, or whatever, disasters will continue to happen”. Not to mention that said disasters will continue on for a very long time, long after humans are gone. And the moon would have vanished (and then re-emerged) on schedule whether or not Columbus had landed on that island. As I’ve quoted before – those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
From the article: “My motivation to help the environment is fueled by climate change anxiety, which has left me tossing and turning more nights than I would like to admit.”
Obviously, this psychologist needs some psychological counseling of her own. Losing sleep over something that has never been shown to exist, like Human-caused Climate Change, is crazy. It’s delusional.
Snap out of it, Jennifer!