Christie Manning

Explicitly Linking Pedagogy and Facilities to Campus Sustainability: Lessons from Carleton College and the University of Minnesota.

Campus sustainability projects provide an opportunity to explicitly link campus operations and academics. College and university buildings and grounds offer the potential for numerous hands‐on sustainability projects. Few schools explicitly link sustainability projects with academics as often the academic side of an institution is separate from the operational side. This paper analyzes projects at Carleton College and the University of Minnesota that successfully combined facilities projects with academics. We analyze the academic and facilities management benefits of these projects and offer recommendations for linking academic and sustainable campus projects. The article advocates for intensified collaborations between academics and facilities managers, to provide win‐win outcomes for both sectors of the campus community.

Beyond the roots of human inaction: Fostering collective effort toward ecosystem conservation

The term “environmental problem” exposes a fundamental misconception: Disruptions of Earth’s ecosystems are at their root a human behavior problem. Psychology is a potent tool for understanding the external and internal drivers of human behavior that lead to unsustainable living. Psychologists already contribute to individual-level behavior-change campaigns in the service of sustainability, but attention is turning toward understanding and facilitating the role of individuals in collective and collaborative actions that will modify the environmentally damaging systems in which humans are embedded. Especially crucial in moving toward long-term human and environmental well-being are transformational individuals who step outside of the norm, embrace ecological principles, and inspire collective action. Particularly in developed countries, fostering legions of sustainability leaders rests upon a fundamental renewal of humans’ connection to the natural world.

Using a Class to Conduct a Carbon Inventory: A Case Study with Practical Results at Macalester College

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the practical realities of using a college seminar to fulfill the carbon audit requirement for signatories to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and presents evidence of this approachs advantages as an educational and practical tool.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the course structure and presents research findings, based on student questionnaires on student learning outcomes.Findings – Structuring a course around a campus carbon audit has unique educational advantages for students and practical advantages for ACUPCC signatory campuses.Originality/value – This paper enumerates the concrete advantages to using a college class to conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and provides evidence of valuable learning outcomes for students in such a class.

Psychological Distance and Response to Human Versus Non-Human Victims of Climate Change

Despite the serious threat of climate change to sustainability, people in the United States feel little urgency to address the issue. The goal of this research project was to use psychological methods to better understand why Americans respond to climate change the way they do, and to assess strategies to spur a stronger action-oriented response. Using Construal Level Theory as a foundation, three psychological studies explored the perceived psychological distance of climate change, empathy toward victims of climate change, and people’s willingness to take action. Past research suggests that perceptions of low psychological distance toward climate change are associated with higher concern and willingness to take action. In the current research, participants read short scenarios about climate change and how it impacts specific victims, such as geographically and socially similar people (low psychological distance) or a geographically and socially dissimilar social agent such as an animal (high psychological distance). Using both self-report surveys and implicit methods, our studies examined the relationship between psychological distance and response to climate change. Consistent with other research, we found that psychologically closer framings of climate change do not always effectively ameliorate psychological distance, nor result in greater intention to act. Our results further suggest that people may engage in psychological distancing when faced with climate change suffering. These findings provide important insights for effective communication about challenging sustainability issues.

Framing climate change solutions: get the numbers right

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use goal setting theory to examine the efficacy of two current messages advocating carbon cuts to address climate change. There is anecdotal evidence that the common message, “We must cut carbon 80 percent by 2050” does not inspire people to take personal action or endorse policy change. Other groups offer an alternative and potentially more motivating message: cutting carbon 2 percent per year until the year 2050.Design/methodology/approach – A survey study with 300 adults attending a regional expo and two urban street festivals compared the two messages by embedding them within two versions of a text that differed only in the phrasing of the goal (“80 percent by the year 2050” vs “2 percent per year until the year 2050”).Findings – Participants reading about “carbon emissions cuts of 2 percent per year until the year 2050” are significantly more likely to agree with the statement “I feel like I can be a part of the solution” than participants reading “carbon emi...

Threats to mental health and wellbeing associated with climate change

Abstract The human health impacts of climate change have recently come into clearer focus as human communities around the world grapple with rising seas, flooding, extreme storms, heat waves, wildfires, drought, and other climate-related disruptions. These climate change-driven events not only threaten physical health but also take a significant toll on mental health and wellbeing. In this chapter, we summarize the psychological research on mental health outcomes of climate change. Mental health and wellbeing are affected by more than just the acute events of climate change, such as damaging storms; also significant are the less obvious and chronic impacts, such as rising temperatures and changes to the landscape. Studies link climate-fueled acute events and chronic climate disruptions to many forms of psychopathology, including increased anxiety, distress, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and, in some cases, even suicide. More subtle impacts of the changing climate on psychosocial health are also likely. While climate change will impact all people, some groups carry greater risk than others. Women, children, individuals from marginalized communities, and indigenous populations are all likely to experience a disproportionate mental health burden as our climate changes.

Introduction: Psychology and climate change

Abstract Climate change represents a significant threat to the wellbeing of people and societies. As the science of human behavior, psychology has much to contribute to both understanding and addressing that threat. This chapter gives an overview of the current and potential impacts of climate change on society, and outlines areas in which psychological research is relevant. Each of the remaining chapters in the volume is briefly introduced. Because climate change is ongoing and knowledge is still evolving, we highlight the urgent need for continued research in this area.