Addressing the Climate Crisis
An Action Plan for Psychologists
REPORT OF THE APA TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
APPROVED BY APA COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEBRUARY 2022
IIMICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
Copyright © 2022 by the American Psychological Association. This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission
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APA Council of Representatives at its February 2020 meeting.
Suggested Citation:
American Psychological Association, APA Task Force on Climate Change. (2022) Addressing the Climate Crisis: An Action Plan for
Psychologists, Report of the APA Task Force on Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/science/about/publications/
climate-crisis-action-plan.pdf.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
Addressing the Climate Crisis
An Action Plan for Psychologists
REPORT OF THE APA TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
APPROVED BY APA COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEBRUARY 2022
APA Task Force on Climate Change (2020–2022)
Members
Gale M. Sinatra, Ph.D. (Chair)
Rossier School of Education
Univ. of Southern California
Los Angeles, California (USA)
Wael K. Al-Delaimy, M.B.Ch.B., D.C.M., Ph.D.
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health
and Human Longevity Science
Univ. of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California (USA)
Nancy J. Chaney, R.N., M.S.
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
Moscow, Idaho (USA)
Merritt Juliano, J.D., M.S.W., LCSW
Regenerative Psychotherapy PLLC
Westport, Connecticut (USA)
Azeemah Kola, J.D., M.SC., M.A.
Dept. of Psychology
New School for Social Research
New York City, New York (USA)
Ezra M. Markowitz, Ph.D.
Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts (USA)
Taciano L. Milfont, Ph.D.
School of Psychology
Univ. of Waikato
Tauranga (New Zealand)
Richard Plenty, Ph.D.
This Is…
Organization and Leadership Development
Epsom, Surrey (United Kingdom)
Sarah W. Sutton, M.A.
Environment & Culture Partners
Tacoma, Washington (USA)
Sander L. van der Linden, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
Univ. of Cambridge
Cambridge (United Kingdom)
Sara J. Walker, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychiatry
Oregon Health & Science Univ.
Portland, Oregon (USA)
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, Ph.D.
Dept. of Earth System Science
Woods Institute for the Environment
Stanford Univ.
Palo Alto, California (USA)
Liaisons from APA Boards
Susan D. Clayton, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
College of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio (USA)
Board of Directors
Kathryn H. Howell, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
Univ. of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee (USA)
Board for the Advancement of Psychology in
the Public Interest
Jeanne Miranda, Ph.D.
Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human
Behavior
Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California (USA)
Board of Professional Affairs
Janet K. Swim, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
State College, Pennsylvania (USA)
Board of Scientific Affairs
Maggie Syme, Ph.D.
Center on Aging
Kansas State Univ.
Manhattan, Kansas (USA)
Board of Educational Affairs
APA Staff
Howard S. Kurtzman, Ph.D. (Liaison)
Science Directorate
Scott Barstow, MSc
Advocacy Office
Janet Johnson
Science Directorate
Joseph Keller, Ph.D.
Advocacy Office
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
The Task Force and Its Work
The Climate Crisis
Climate Change and Its Impacts
Responding to Climate Change
How Psychologists Can Address the Climate Crisis
Mitigation
Adaptation
Public Understanding and Attitudes
Social Action
Building a Stronger Role for Psychologists
APA’s Role in Addressing the Climate Crisis
APA’s Strategic Plan
APA’s Work So Far
Recommendations for APA
Research
Practice
Education
Advocacy
Communications
APA’s Energy Use and Sustainability Practices
Implementing the Recommendations
Final Comment
References
Appendix APA’s Climate Change Activities (–)
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INTRODUCTION
Successful responses to the climate crisis require the participation of all fields and
sectors of society. Psychologists have conducted valuable work on the climate crisis
and can make even greater contributions to understanding the crisis, mitigating and
adapting to climate change, and achieving climate justice. This report from the
American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Climate Change examines the
multiple roles psychologists play in research, practice, education, advocacy, and
communications related to the climate crisis and how APA can facilitate expansion
of psychologists’ work in these domains.
The task force recommends that APA pursue a set of activities that will both
(a) strengthen the field by encouraging a larger number of psychologists, across
all specializations, to work on climate change, and (b) broaden the impact of
psychologists’ work on climate change by supporting their engagement and collab-
orations with other fields and sectors. Further, the task force offers recommenda-
tions for how APA can help mitigate climate change by improving its own energy
use and sustainability practices and encouraging improvements by other organi-
zations and the public.
Responding to the climate crisis is an essential task for the current generation
and many generations to come. Although the severity and urgency of the crisis
should not be understated, it remains within the capacity of society to reduce its
most adverse effects and to promote health, well-being, and justice for all people.
Psychologists have the knowledge and skills to design and implement strategies that
will help realize these aims. As a leading scientific and professional association, APA
can prepare, support, and organize psychologists to address the climate crisis and
amplify their work for greatest impact and visibility.
The task force presents this report not only to guide APA but also to inspire
individual psychologists, psychology groups and departments, and other psycholog-
ical associations to devote attention to the climate crisis, and to serve as a model for
people and organizations in other disciplines and professions.
4MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
THE TASK FORCE AND ITS WORK
The mission of the American Psychological
Association’s Task Force on Climate Change was to
review the progress APA has made in addressing cli-
mate change and to offer recommendations for its
future activities in the area. The task force was autho-
rized in February 2020 by the APA Council of
Representatives, the association’s highest governing
body, in a policy resolution titled APA’s Response to
the Global Climate Change Crisis. The resolution
included the following provision about the task force:
he Presiden o P shall appoin a as orce
composed o leadin inernaional epers o reie
Ps pas and curren aciiies relaed o lobal
climae chane and o recommend oals and sraeies
or uure P aciiies ha ill hae a sron impac on
he climae chane crisis. he Council o epresenaies
requess ha he as orce eep in mind he prime
imporance o issues surroundin miraion human
rihs and ssemic aspecs includin poliical
economic and corporae o climae chane as ell as
address ho P can improe is on susainabili
pracices. he as orce ill submi a repor o he
Council o epresenaies and he repor ill be
disseminaed o he membership o P.
APA issued a call for nominations for members of the
task force in July 2020. The call specified that the task
force was to “include individuals from psychology and
from other disciplines or professions, and individuals
from both within and outside the United States.” Upon
review of the nominations received, APA President
Sandra L. Shullman appointed twelve individuals to
serve on the task force in September 2020. The task
force included members with backgrounds in psychol-
ogy, medicine, epidemiology, nursing, environmental
science, local government, law, social work, museums,
and business. They were based in the United States,
the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, with several
having strong ties to other countries as well. All mem-
bers had significant expertise and experience in cli-
mate change and related topics.
The task force held twenty-six 90-minute virtual
meetings (via Zoom) between October 2020 and
January 2022. Between meetings, it engaged in discus-
sion by email and at times worked in subgroups. In
addition to task force members, participants included
liaisons from five major APA boards (Board of Direc-
tors, Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the
Public Interest, Board of Educational Affairs, Board of
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
Professional Affairs, and Board of Scientific Affairs)
and APA staff.
In their meetings, task force members reviewed,
shared, and discussed information in a variety of areas,
including:
• Ps pas and curren aciiies relaed o climae
chane.
• Ps on ener use and susainabili pracices.
his opic as addressed b he as orce as a
hole raher han b a subroup as as oriinall
announced.
• Curren direcions in pscholoical science pracice
and educaion relaed o climae chane.
• he publics undersandin aiudes and emoional
responses concernin climae chane.
• Poliical economic and socieal acors inluencin
climae chane and indiidual and collecie
responses o i.
• Inernaional naional and reional policies and
prorams relaed o climae chane.
• elaed enironmenal challenes such as polluion
and biodiersi loss.
• Human rihs enironmenal jusice and oher
social jusice issues.
• Indienous culures eperiences o and responses
o climae chane.
• Sraeies or communicain abou climae chane.
• docac and aciism on climae chane issues.
• or on climae chane conduced b indiiduals
and oraniaions in oher ields includin sciences
humaniies healhcare social jusice and public
polic.
The task force considered these areas in relation to
APA’s strategic plan and APA’s policies on human
rights, ethics, racism, multiculturalism, immigration,
socioeconomic status, global perspectives, and scien-
tific freedom as well as input received from APA
boards and divisions and information about APA’s
other current activities.
A previous APA task force, which met in 2008–09,
produced a review of psychological research on
climate change and offered recommendations for
6MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
further research (Swim et al., 2011). That work served
as the basis for a 2011 Council of Representatives
resolution on psychologists’ role in addressing climate
change. The current task force consulted with several
members of the earlier task force (Thomas J. Doherty,
Joseph P. Reser, Paul C. Stern, and Elke U. Weber) to
learn their perspectives on how the field of climate
change and psychology has developed since 2009,
current opportunities and needs in the field, and steps
APA can take to advance the field. (In addition, two
members of the earlier task force, Susan D. Clayton
and Janet K. Swim, served as liaisons from APA boards
to the current task force.)
The 2008–09 task force also produced “policy
recommendations” for APA activities on climate
change. Although not formally endorsed or adopted by
APA, these recommendations informed APA’s subse-
quent work. The recommendations were considered by
the current task force in assessing the progress APA
has made and in developing new recommendations.
The current task force focused on activities that are
managed, conducted, or directly supported by APA’s
central office in Washington, DC (including activities
of boards and the Council of Representatives). It was
not feasible to closely examine or develop specific
recommendations for APA’s 54 divisions, which vary in
size, resources, and structure and operate with a degree
of autonomy from the central office. However, the task
force suggested new activities that the central office
might pursue in collaboration with divisions (as well as
with other organizations independent of APA, includ-
ing state and regional psychological associations and
ethnic psychological associations in the U.S.).
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THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Changes in the climate due to emissions of gases
resulting from human energy, industrial, and agricul-
tural practices are having broad and harmful impacts
on life on our planet, including on human health and
well-being. Many of these impacts are violations of
human rights and increase disparities among popula-
tion groups. However, major actions taken now can
limit the severity of climate change and its conse-
quences. This section presents an overview of cli-
mate change and its effects and of the steps that
individuals, organizations, and governments can take
both to mitigate climate change and to enable people
to adapt to it.
Climate Change and Its Impacts
Since the late nineteenth century, the average surface
temperature of the earth has increased by about 1.1
degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit), with most of
the increase occurring since the mid-twentieth cen-
tury (IPCC, 2021). Scientists have firmly established
that this temperature change, referred to as global
warming, is primarily due to increased amounts of car-
bon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases being emit-
ted into the atmosphere and that the increase in
emissions is due to human activities. The gases essen-
tially trap heat in the atmosphere, thus raising surface
temperature (National Academy of Sciences, 2020).
The growth of carbon dioxide emissions stems
from increased burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and
natural gas) as well as clearing of forests and grass-
lands (which capture and store carbon dioxide).
Although carbon dioxide comprises the largest
percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, other green-
house gases also contribute to global warming. These
include methane, which is released in the production
and transport of fossil fuels and in certain agricultural
and waste processing practices. They also include
nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases, emitted in various
industrial and agricultural activities (U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency, 2021b).
Higher surface temperatures have led to changes
in the climate of every region of the planet, including
altered precipitation patterns, rising sea levels,
melting polar ice, and increases in severe storms,
flooding, heatwaves, drought, and wildfires (IPCC,
2014a, 2018; U.S. Global Change Research Program,
2017). Such changes have begun to have profound
impacts on people’s health and on the well-being of
individuals and communities. While outcomes vary
across populations and settings, climate change is
contributing to greater prevalence and severity of the
conditions and events listed below (Al-Delaimy et al.,
2020; Clayton et al., 2021; Ebi et al., 2018; Lawrance
et al., 2021; National Intelligence Council, 2021; U.S.
8MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
Global Change Research Program, 2018; Watts et al.,
2021; Xu et al., 2020):
• reme eaher and climae eens includin
ildires leadin o deahs injuries and damae o
inrasrucure buildins and proper.
• Menal healh condiions includin pos-raumaic
sress anie depression and subsance misuse.
• Inerpersonal aression and iolence.
• Impaired coniie and brain uncion.
• Premaure birhs and lo birh eih.
• Shoraes o sae aer and ood.
• Dehdraion and heasroe.
• Inecious diseases ransmied hrouh ood aer
insecs and oher animals.
• Cardioascular respiraor idne and alleric
condiions.
Climate change can also lead to job losses, economic
disruptions, interruptions in education and social ser-
vices, losses of culturally significant places and
resources, intergroup and international conflict, and
population displacements (including voluntary and
forced migrations, refugee movements, and planned
relocations, both within and across national boundar-
ies).
1
Associated with these impacts, individuals may
experience loss or alteration of identity, autonomy, or
sense of control. Further, households, social networks,
and communities may become less cohesive and
effective, and communities that undergo major disas-
ters or lose homelands may experience collective or
historical trauma. As climate change continues, these
impacts will become more severe in future years.
Many of these impacts are violations of human
rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and other international agreements, including rights
concerning life, health, and culture (Feygina et al.,
2020; Gardiner, 2011; Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights, 2015; United Nations Environment
Programme, 2015). Further, some groups dispropor-
tionately bear the negative impacts of climate change,
including Indigenous peoples, communities of color,
1Two World Bank (2018, 2021) reports project that by 2050 as many as 216 million people throughout the world may be forced to
migrate within their countries due to climate change unless significant mitigation and adaptation actions are taken.
and communities that are economically disadvantaged
(Clayton et al., 2021; Jafry, 2019; Méndez et al., 2020).
These disparities can be attributed in part to the facts
that such communities are more likely to be located in
areas in which extreme weather occurs or in which
there are fewer protections against such weather, that
they face other health and economic challenges that
are exacerbated by climate impacts, and that they have
less access to resources to recover from climate
impacts. Other groups—including children, older
adults, women, persons with disabilities, and outdoor
workers—may also bear greater impacts of climate
change due to various environmental, health, economic,
and social factors. Growing recognition of these dispar-
ities has led to activism and policy efforts to achieve
climate justice, part of the broader movement for
environmental justice (Henry et al., 2020; Jafry, 2019;
Méndez, 2020; NAACP, 2021; Robinson & Shine, 2018;
Rouf & Wainwright, 2020).
Responding to Climate Change
Unless major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
are made quickly, by about 2030, the earth’s average
surface temperature will continue to rise and climate
change will intensify, with catastrophic consequences
for human health, well-being, and equity (IPCC, 2018,
2021). The Paris Agreement, an international treaty
adopted in 2015, set a goal of limiting global warming
to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)
and preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees
Fahrenheit). Major shifts in policy, investments, tech-
nology, and behavior—especially in the more econom-
ically developed countries, which currently produce
most emissions—are needed to achieve either of these
targets (Pearce, 2021).
Responses to climate change are generally classi-
fied under the broad categories of mitigation or adapta-
tion (IPCC, 2014b). Mitigation refers to efforts to limit,
prevent, and counteract greenhouse gas emissions so
that human-driven climate change can be slowed and
eventually halted. Mitigation approaches can aim to
reduce overall consumption of energy as well as alter
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS9
how energy is produced and used. Critical to mitigation
is adoption of new norms, practices, and technologies
for transportation, indoor heating and cooling, diet,
land management, agriculture, industry, and waste
processing (Carmichael, 2019; Meyer & Lord, 2021;
Milfont, Satherley, et al., 2021). Mitigation also involves
the development and widespread implementation of
technologies for producing energy from sources other
than fossil fuels (e.g., solar, wind, hydropower, geother-
mal, nuclear). In addition, proposals have been made
for applying geo-engineering methods for removing
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (e.g., large-
scale tree planting, carbon dioxide filtering devices)
and reflecting sunlight back into space (e.g., by adding
reflective particles to the upper atmosphere) (Converse
et al., 2021; Cox et al., 2022; National Academies of
Sciences Engineering & Medicine, 2019, 2021a, 2021b).
Adaptation refers to efforts to reduce the current
and future negative impacts of climate change and help
people to adjust to the impacts. These efforts are neces-
sary because, even under the most optimistic projec-
tions, the climate will continue to change through much
of this century due to the greenhouse gases that have
already been and are currently being emitted (IPCC,
2021). Adaptation can take various forms. Examples
include building seawalls, shifting to drought-resistant
food crops, improving disaster preparation and response
by households and communities, training healthcare
workers, promoting psychological and social resilience
within communities, incorporating climate risks into
financial policy and planning, relocating populations
from unsafe areas, and services for climate migrants and
refugees, as well as regenerative approaches to agricul-
ture and daily living (Clayton et al., 2021; Newton et al.,
2020; Pelling & Garschagen, 2019; U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 2022).
Large-scale mitigation and adaptation efforts build
on ongoing research to develop effective new norms,
practices, and technologies that will be accepted and
adopted by households, communities, institutions,
corporations, and nations. They also involve new laws,
regulations, policies, infrastructure, staffing, and
funding by governments and private entities; these can
move society forward by creating the opportunities,
supports, incentives, and requirements that will lead
organizations and individuals to participate in mitiga-
tion and adaptation initiatives (Cambridge Sustainabil-
ity Commission on Scaling Behaviour Change, 2021;
Vandenbergh & Gilligan, 2017). Although governments
around the world have taken some steps to advance
such initiatives, their efforts to this point are widely
viewed as insufficient (Plumer & Friedman, 2021).
In the U.S., a majority of the population perceives
climate change to be a significant issue and favors
government action to address it (Ballew et al., 2019;
Tyson & Kennedy, 2020; United Nations Development
Programme & Univ. of Oxford, 2021). However, individ-
uals affiliated with the two major political parties tend to
hold or express contrasting views about climate change
and policy (although these differences are moderated by
age and gender) (Doell et al., 2021; Jenkins-Smith et al.,
10MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
2020). Political leaders from the two parties are rarely
able to reach agreements on new federal policies and
programs for mitigation and adaptation, and therefore
those initiatives that are adopted tend to be limited in
impact or scope (Karapin, 2016; Mildenberger, 2020).
Another noteworthy element of the political
landscape in the U.S. is misinformation about climate
change disseminated by individuals, think tanks, and
corporations (Brulle, 2021; Brulle et al., 2020; Cook,
2020; Cook et al., 2019). Most prominent are sustained
efforts by the fossil fuel industry since the 1960s to
mislead the public and policymakers about global
warming and to lobby against changes in laws (e.g., tax
subsidies) that favor use of fossil fuels (Mann, 2021;
Oreskes & Conway, 2010; Parry et al., 2021; Skovgaard,
2021; Skovgaard & van Asselt, 2018; Supran & Oreskes,
2021). Among the industry’s strategies has been to
downplay the dangers of its greenhouse gas emissions
and the feasibility of alternative energy sources. The
industry has also suggested that responsibility for the
country’s continued reliance on fossil fuels lies with
individual customers (who usually have limited energy
use options) rather than corporations and government.
Some companies have acknowledged the need to move
away from fossil fuels (Taylor & Rankin, 2008), but their
plans are considered by many climate change observers
to be insufficient in magnitude or speed (Waldman,
2018; Worland, 2020). Various scholars and advocates
have worked to identify and counteract these and other
forms of misinformation about climate change (Climate
Social Science Network, 2022).
To be successful, mitigation and adaptation
initiatives must recognize differences among
individuals, communities, and countries in the amounts
of emissions they produce, the nature and degree of
climate change impacts they experience, and their
capacities for transitioning to new technologies and
practices. For example, wealthier people and countries
generally produce more emissions and so they are
generally expected to make greater emissions
reductions and to assist others in their mitigation and
2 The complexity of mitigating climate change increases when a broader range of environmental issues is examined. For example,
assessments of proposed projects for mining lithium, used in batteries for electric vehicles, must consider their potential negative effects
of endangering water supplies and ecosystems and disrupting the lands of Indigenous communities (Barringer, 2021; Zografos & Robbins,
2020).
adaptation efforts (Atwoli et al., 2021; Urpelainen &
George, 2021). By contrast, workers who lose their
jobs due to closures of fossil fuel facilities (e.g., coal
mines and oil refineries) may need financial and other
forms of support, as may people with low incomes in
countries in which subsidies for fossil fuel prices are
removed (Richardson, 2021; Timperley, 2021). Taking
a climate justice and human rights perspective, all
those affected by climate change and potential
responses to it in a region or community should be
represented in decision-making to ensure that their
needs and interests are addressed.
In addition, responses to climate change should take
into account its interactions with other environmental
problems, including pollution, biodiversity loss, ocean
acidification, soil depletion, deforestation, animal
diseases, and pandemics (Haines & Frumkin, 2021;
Nielsen, Marteau, et al., 2021; United Nations Environ-
ment Programme, 2019). For example, greenhouse gas
emissions contain pollutants that have adverse health
effects besides those linked to global warming (e.g.,
sulfur dioxide), and deforestation contributes to both
climate change and biodiversity loss. Climate change
can lead animals to migrate to new habitats and make
them more vulnerable to diseases, which in turn
increases the risk for cross-species transmission of
diseases to humans with potential pandemic spread
(Baker et al., 2021).
Various multidisciplinary frameworks have
emerged in recent years to capture the relationships
among the environment, human activity, and human
and animal health [e.g., One Health (Deem et al., 2018),
EcoHealth, GeoHealth, Planetary Health, the Anthro-
pocene (Zalasiewicz et al., 2019)]. These frameworks
can help guide more comprehensive mitigation and
adaptation efforts that address the full range of environ-
mental challenges. Although the scope of the task
force (and this report) is limited to climate change, the
task force encourages APA and others to address
climate and other environmental issues in this broader,
integrated fashion.
2
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HOW PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Psychologists have made significant contributions to
responding to the climate crisis (Clayton & Manning,
2018; Ferguson & Schmitt, 2021; Swim et al., 2011) and
are well positioned to contribute more. As research-
ers, practitioners, educators, consultants, communi-
cators, leaders, and advocates, psychologists have
multiple opportunities to take action to advance indi-
vidual and collective health, well-being, and justice.
Nearly all subject areas and approaches within psy-
chology (including environmental, cognitive, social,
community, developmental, educational, school,
counseling, clinical, neuroscientific, health, psychody-
namic, humanistic, industrial and organizational,
human factors, and other subfields) offer concepts,
methods, and tools that can be applied or elaborated
to address climate change.
This section describes examples of the kinds of
work that psychologists can undertake now and in
coming years to address the climate crisis and how the
role of psychologists can be strengthened. The “Recom-
mendations for APA” below include further discussion
of some of these topics. Across all areas, psychologists
would be expected to abide by principles of justice,
respect for others, and scientific integrity, as elabo-
rated in the ethics codes, standards, and guidelines of
national psychological associations and other psycho-
logical organizations.
Mitigation
As researchers and practitioners, psychologists can
contribute to the design of new technologies for resi-
dences, transportation, industry, and other settings
that will both result in reduced energy consumption or
greenhouse gas emissions and be usable and accepted
by people and organizations. Among these are new
solar energy technologies, heating/cooling technolo-
gies, electric and self-driving vehicles, and devices
regulated by artificial intelligence (Furszyfer Del Rio et
al., 2021; Stein, 2020; Viola, 2021). Psychologists can
participate as well in assessments of the potential
environmental and societal impacts (both positive and
negative) of broad application of these technologies.
For those technologies that are deemed appropriate
for application, psychologists can develop and imple-
ment methods for motivating and guiding people and
organizations to adopt them (Palomo-Vélez & van
Vugt, 2021; Verplanken & Whitmarsh, 2021). Adoption
involves integrating them with—and in some cases
modifying or replacing—other existing technologies,
behaviors, and organizational structures. Throughout
such transformations, psychologists can help people
to understand and engage in collective decision-mak-
ing and evaluation regarding changes to their environ-
ments and ways of living (Árvai & Gregory, 2021;
Orlove et al., 2020).
1MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
Further, psychologists’ perspectives and methods
can enhance efforts, now being pursued across multiple
disciplines and professions, to rethink and transform the
design of people’s environments and lives so that energy
use and emissions are reduced (Creutzig et al., 2018;
Faure et al., 2022; Nielsen, Clayton, et al., 2021; Uzell,
2018; Wynes & Nicholas, 2017). Psychologists can help
forge new approaches in such domains as residence size
and design (e.g., encouraging smaller homes that use
less energy); virtual and remote work (e.g., making such
work productive and satisfying with less need for
commuting); regional, urban, and neighborhood
planning (e.g., meeting people’s needs locally and reduc-
ing shipping and travel); transportation (e.g., public
transit, walking, cycling); diet (e.g., reducing consump-
tion of meats, the production of which involves substan-
tial greenhouse gas emissions); and agricultural, land
management, and manufacturing practices (e.g., regen-
erative agriculture, innovations in materials and
processes, recycling and reuse of materials) (Creutzig et
al., 2020; Doidge et al., 2020; Fox-Penner et al., 2021;
Mastrangelo et al., 2014; Newton et al., 2020; Nielsen,
Clayton, et al., 2021). Psychologists can ensure that new
environments, policies, and behaviors are compatible
with human cognitive, emotional, and social functioning
and with the identities, cultures, goals, and practices of
the people involved and affected by the changes, and
thereby increase the likelihood they will be adopted and
maintained (Constantino et al., 2021).
Adaptation
Psychologists have critical roles to play in helping indi-
viduals, households, communities, organizations, and
countries understand and adjust to the impacts of cli-
mate change. They can produce research and offer
interventions and services in areas such as:
• Pscholoical responses o climae e.. anie
rauma rie denial and solasalia as ell as hope
and opimism.
• Naure deelopmen and prealence o menal
healh condiions and social problems associaed
ih climae chane e.. depression anie sub-
sance use disorders demenia academic prob-
lems inerpersonal conlic and iolence.
• ecs o climae chane on healh-relaed behaiors
e.. die eercise sleep reamen adherence.
• ecs o pre-eisin menal healh condiions on
capaci o cope ih climae chane impacs.
• herapies speciicall ied o climae and he eni-
ronmen e.. ecoherap oudoor herapies.
• Suppor and uidance or people and communiies
ransiionin o ne orms o liin ha are less
ener inensie and more proecie and respecul
o he enironmen e.. reeneraie liin.
In addition to providing services to people who
experience challenges or transitions related to climate
change, psychologists can help people prepare for
climate change impacts and prevent or reduce distress
by supporting them in building their psychological and
social resilience (Clayton et al., 2021; Doppelt, 2016;
Everett et al., 2020). Resilience encompasses elements
such as positive attitudes, a sense of meaning or
purpose, coping and self-regulation skills, self-efficacy,
social connections, community cohesion, practical
preparations for disasters and other climate impacts,
and taking productive action on climate change.
Programs for developing resilience can be organized at
any level from individual to community to whole
country. Although resilience does not guarantee that
individuals and communities will escape negative
consequences of climate change or “bounce back” fully
from them, it may help them respond constructively to
current challenges and develop new skills, strategies,
and resources for moving forward.
As more people migrate (including those who are
involuntarily displaced) due to climate change, it is
likely that psychologists will be called upon to work
with migrants, the communities to which they relocate
(temporarily or permanently), and government and
social service agencies to ensure that migrants’ social
and health needs are met. Psychologists can also
contribute to the design of policies and programs to
ensure that they respect migrants’ cultures, address
the needs of specific groups (e.g., children, women,
LGBT groups), and prevent or counteract discrimina-
tion and injustice toward migrants.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
Public Understanding and Attitudes
What people believe and think about climate change
and how to respond to it is key to the success of miti-
gation and adaptation initiatives and the adoption and
implementation of effective climate policies.
Psychologists have engaged in assessments of the
public’s understanding and attitudes regarding climate
change, how people’s views vary across demographic
groups, what factors influence their views, and how
their views are related to changes in behavior (Ballew
et al., 2019; Doell et al., 2021; Milfont, Zubielevitch, et
al., 2021; Priestley et al., 2021; Shi et al., 2016). As such
work continues, further insights can be gained by
examining how views on climate change relate to
broader understanding and attitudes concerning
nature, science, social justice, the role of government,
and other topics.
Psychologists can also help develop effective forms
of education (in schools and other settings) and public
communication about climate change and climate
policies, tailored to specific audiences and purposes.
Especially important is developing methods to help
people identify and accept accurate information about
climate change and avoid or reject misinformation,
disinformation, and misleading arguments (Compton
et al., 2021; Ecker et al., 2022; Sinatra & Hofer, 2021).
False and manipulative messages include “discourses
of delay,” by which some political and business groups
acknowledge human-driven climate change but claim
little can be done to mitigate it (Lamb et al., 2020), and
“greenwashing,” by which companies present exagger-
ated or incomplete information about their efforts to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Cislak et al., 2021).
More broadly, psychologists can contribute to the
design of educational and communication initiatives to
prepare people (especially young people) for a future
life in a world in which climate change and other
environmental challenges are principal features (Geiger
et al., 2019; Guzmán et al., 2021; Markowitz & Guckian,
2018). These efforts would help people to understand
the systemic relationships among climate and environ-
mental processes and human behavioral and social
processes. They would also enable people to become
informed about options for mitigation and adaptation
strategies and their implications for life in their commu-
nities and globally. Such initiatives would help individ-
uals plan their own lives and be knowledgeable
participants in public discussion and social action
around the climate crisis.
Some issues related to climate change policies can
be expected to become more widely discussed in
coming years. These include assessments of the risks
and benefits of geo-engineering technologies and
nuclear power, which are controversial (Pearce, 2019).
Proposals for achieving climate justice may also be
debated as those involve not only directing efforts and
resources to groups who historically have been disad-
vantaged and have less political power but also altering
the behaviors, lifestyles, and energy use of affluent
people and wealthier countries, which produce greater
amounts of greenhouse gas emissions (Nielsen, Nicho-
las, et al., 2021; Wiedmann et al., 2020). Psychologists
can help frame and influence public discussions of
these issues so that they are based on careful consid-
erations of evidence, values, and justice while minimiz-
ing the influences of biases and manipulation.
Social Action
Psychologists can take action themselves to establish
policies and programs for mitigating and adapting to
climate change and advancing climate justice. They
can work on the “inside” as staff members and advi-
sors to government, business, and other entities,
applying their expertise to the development and justi-
fication of new initiatives. On the “outside,” psycholo-
gists can serve as advocates and activists for policies
and programs on their own, within their local or pro-
fessional organizations (including APA), and as partic-
ipants in climate advocacy groups (e.g., the
organizations affiliated with the Climate Action
Network International and ecoAmerica).
Further, psychologists can conduct research and
offer guidance on mechanisms for successful climate
advocacy. For example, drawing on social and organi-
zational psychology, they might advise on advocacy
groups’ organization, leadership, and processes. Such
guidance preferably is developed with the members of
the groups, rather than imposed upon them, and
reflects the groups’ goals, resources, cultures, and
contexts.
14MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
In all these types of work, psychologists can apply
their knowledge of public attitudes, persuasion, and
communication (as noted above); how to motivate
people to participate in collective efforts; how to
promote sound information gathering, analysis, and
decision-making; and how to facilitate productive
interactions among stakeholders with various perspec-
tives (such as community members, scientists, and
policymakers).
Some scholars and advocates argue that new
policies and programs alone will be insufficient to
address climate change over the long term and that
fundamental changes in economic, social, and political
systems are needed (McPhearson et al., 2021; Pater-
son & P-Laberge, 2018). Proposals for new systems
that would more effectively protect the environment
and meet human needs include regulated capitalism
(Budolfson, 2021), democratic socialism (Fraser, 2021),
regenerative economics (Fath et al., 2019), circular
economics (Korhonen et al., 2018), doughnut econom-
ics (Raworth, 2017), and no-growth, degrowth, and
slow-growth economics (Jackson, 2017; Keyßer &
Lenzen, 2021). Elaboration and assessment of such
proposals calls upon the expertise and experience of
social scientists, political and cultural analysts, and
community members.
Psychologists can contribute to these efforts
through research on people’s beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors related to prominent features of many
contemporary societies—such as materialism,
consumption, individualism, competition, hierarchy,
and disconnection from nature—and how these
psychological and behavioral characteristics are
associated with energy use as well as health, well-be-
ing, and equity (Kasser, 2016; Milfont et al., 2013;
Weintrobe, 2021). Such research could shed light on
what kinds of systemic changes are most feasible, how
to achieve them, and what their outcomes are likely to
be. Psychologists can also join in efforts to gain public
support for such systemic changes and help people
and institutions implement them and adjust to the
disruptions they may produce.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
Building a Stronger Role for Psychologists
For significant progress in these areas to be made,
there is a need for more psychologists across all areas
of the field to devote at least some of their efforts to
climate change topics. Today only a small number of
psychologists address climate change as a part of
their professional work.
3
It would be valuable both for
established psychologists to shift their attention to
climate change (e.g., applying methods and theories
they have used in work on other topics) and for grad-
uate students and early career psychologists to adopt
it as their focus (enabling progress to continue in
future decades). The breadth and complexity of cli-
mate change topics, along with their significance for
human health and well-being, offer many pathways
for satisfying and successful careers. (The
Recommendations sections below suggest methods
for encouraging and training psychologists to engage
in climate change work.)
To enhance the soundness and impact of their
work, psychologists must engage with other domains
that address climate change—not just other disciplines
and professions but policymaking and advocacy as
well. Psychologists also need to collaborate with and
learn from the diverse populations, within countries
and around the world, who are affected by climate
change and by mitigation and adaptation initiatives
(Nash et al., 2020; Tam & Milfont, 2020). This atten-
tion to diverse peoples and their varied experiences of
climate change will keep human rights and climate
justice concerns in the forefront of psychologists’ work
and offer psychologists new perspectives and insights.
For example, members of Indigenous communities
have important knowledge of the physical and social
impacts of climate change in their regions and valuable
perspectives on mitigation and adaptation strategies,
which they may choose to share with others in mutually
respectful settings (Cowie et al., 2016; Kimmerer, 2013;
3 An examination of scientific journals supports this point. As noted in the Appendix, across 15 years (2007–21) of APA’s 90 journals,
only 87 articles referred to “global warming” or “climate change.” Among non-APA psychology journals, few other than the Journal of
Environmental Psychology, Ecopsychology, and Environment and Behavior have published work on global warming or climate change (Swim,
2021). An inspection of the contents of the major climate change journals Nature Climate Change and Climatic Change indicates that
fewer than 5% of their articles report psychological work. Also, the annual APA convention generally has few sessions on climate change
(mainly sponsored by Division 34), and sessions on climate change are rare at other psychology conferences. In an informal census of
environmental psychologists maintained by Robert Gifford, 103 out of 1330 list themselves as interested specifically in global warming or
climate issues.
Nakashima et al., 2018; Petzold et al., 2020; UNESCO,
2020). Further, many Indigenous cultures emphasize
the interrelationships of humans, non-human living
beings, and the earth, encouraging people to treat the
environment with respect and as a partner. Indigenous
peoples also often understand themselves as closely
tied to the experiences and actions of multiple gener-
ations preceding them and following them. This type of
holistic, interactive, and long-term view of humans’
relationship with the environment can complement
and enrich other scientific and technological approaches
to the climate crisis, including those of psychologists.
Psychologists can be strong leaders in addressing
the climate crisis. They have the knowledge and skills
to help people understand the crisis and what is needed
to respond to it. They can play key roles in designing
and implementing initiatives and policies that will be
broadly accepted and effective. They can guide individ-
uals and institutions in incorporating considerations of
climate change and climate justice into their ongoing
activities. Through such work, psychologists can help
people develop confidence and hope that our society
can meet the enormous challenges of the climate crisis.
16MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
APA’S ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Given the association’s leadership position in the field
of psychology, its current goals, and its history of work
on climate change, APA can do much to strengthen
the role of psychologists in addressing the climate cri-
sis. This section discusses the climate crisis in relation
to APA’s current strategic plan (approved by the
Council of Representatives in 2019) and reviews APA’s
previous work on climate change.
APA’s Strategic Plan
APA’s current strategic plan is organized around four
main goals. As described below, work to address the
climate crisis falls within these goals. Indeed, the goals
suggest that APA devote attention and resources to
the climate crisis.
• Uilie pscholo o mae a posiie impac on
criical socieal issues.
he climae crisis hreaens he healh and ell-be-
in o eer human bein on he plane in curren
and uure eneraions is eacerbain healh and
economic injusices and riss maniin social
conlics. I is an increasinl imporan acor in
oher socieal issues ha P is currenl address-
in such as hose surroundin human rihs
racism healh equi populaion healh immira-
ion socioeconomic saus and echnolo. I is also
a major opic in Ps or ih inernaional par-
ners includin or ihin he lobal Pscholo
lliance and eors o adance he Unied Naions
Susainable Deelopmen oals.
• Prepare he discipline and proession o
pscholo or he uure.
s concerns abou climae chane ro all secors
o socie—includin pscholoiss—ill become
inoled in he desin and implemenaion o mi-
iaion and adapaion sraeies. In ac pschol-
oiss inolemen is necessar as he success o
hese sraeies ill depend on careul consider-
aion o heir pscholoical behaioral and social
dimensions. Moreoer pscholoical approaches
can be used o help indiiduals and communiies
undersand climae chane and climae jusice
and build heir sense o aenc and capaci or
collecie acion o address hese challenes.
P can raise aareness o he muliple pes o
conribuions pscholoiss can mae o address
climae chane and help prepare pscholoiss or
hese roles.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
urher climae chane oers opporuniies
or pscholo o ro as a ield. I presens a
broad rane o ne opics or research pracice
educaion and adocac. Such or can build
on eisin approaches and mehods as ell as
deelop ne ones. Climae chane opics are no
onl hihl relean o healh ell-bein jusice
and social polic bu inrinsicall ineresin and
appealin o man people includin sudens.
ih suppor rom P and oher insiuions
or on climae chane and relaed enironmenal
issues can eole ino a major ocus o pscholo
and dra ne people ino he ield.
• leae he publics undersandin o reard or
and use o pscholo.
Pscholoiss conribuions o miiaion and
adapaion iniiaies can be epeced o enhance
undersandin and respec or pscholo amon
policmaers and members o oher proessions
as ell as oher members o he public. urher
pscholoiss can pla prominen public roles in
helpin people respond consruciel o disress
and anie relaed o climae chane hich are
increasinl prealen especiall amon ouh
Hicman e al. 01. P can help oranie and
suppor pscholoiss o carr ou hese inds o
or and hae an inluenial oice in public aairs.
• Srenhen Ps sandin as an auhoriaie
oice or pscholo.
s he leadin oraniaion in he U.S. represen-
in all areas o pscholo and ih a hisor o
or on climae chane P has he breadh and
saure o adance and spea or he ull rane o
pscholoical approaches o he climae crisis.
4 Related scientific and professional associations that support work on climate change include the Australian Psychological Society,
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and Royal College of Psychiatrists. Groups with a primary focus on climate change
include the Climate Psychology Alliance, Climate Psychology Alliance North America, Climate Psychiatry Alliance, and Medical Society
Consortium on Climate and Health.
5 Although earlier discussions and efforts within APA noted the need for psychologists to address energy use, global warming, or climate
change, they did not result in sustained activity. For example, a Task Force on Psychology and Environmental Problems, organized by
Division 34 and including representatives from other divisions and APA’s central office, met in 1993–94 and produced several brief
unpublished reports and newsletter articles (Cvetkovich, 1994), but no further work from or related to that task force was found.
6 As described earlier, the task force did not systematically examine the activities of divisions, although it noted that several divisions,
including Division 34: Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology, Division 9: Society for the Psychological Study of
Social Issues, and Division 8: Society for Personality and Social Psychology, have supported or disseminated work on climate change.
Is naional and inernaional prominence also
enables P o sere as a model and parner or
oher associaions in pscholo and relaed ields
or acion on he crisis.
4
APA’s Work So Far
As requested in the Council of Representatives resolu-
tion that established it, the task force reviewed APA’s
past and current activities on climate change. It used
2007 as the starting point, as APA’s sustained atten-
tion to climate change can be traced to that year, when
its then Science Directorate chief called on the field of
psychology to address “the human behaviors respon-
sible for global warming and energy consumption”
(Breckler, 2007).
5
The task force focused on activities
managed or supported by the APA central office,
drawing on information gathered by staff (summa-
rized in the Appendix below).
6
The task force observed that APA has regularly
conducted and sponsored work of high quality on
climate change since 2007. Of note are the 2008–09
task force report [later published as a special issue of
American Psychologist (Swim et al., 2011)], which
highlighted for a broad readership the progress and
significance of psychological research on climate
change, and APA’s three reports with ecoAmerica
(2014, 2017, and 2021), which brought the psycholog-
ical and mental health dimensions of climate change to
the awareness of environmental communities, policy-
makers, and the general public. Further, the regular
coverage of climate change in the Monitor on Psychol-
ogy has been a unique and valuable educational
resource for psychologists and students.
However, the needs and opportunities for work by
APA on climate change exceed what it has done to this
18MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
point. As discussed in previous sections, the climate
crisis is now widely recognized to be an immense and
urgent threat to human health and well-being. Psychol-
ogists’ expertise and experience are highly relevant to
many aspects of mitigation, adaptation, public
communication, and social action in response to the
crisis. However, realizing that potential fully will
require more psychologists, across the breadth of the
field, to devote their efforts to climate change work
and to engage more closely with other fields and
sectors of society. As the largest and best resourced
psychological organization in the U.S., and building on
its previous work, APA can lead in developing the
field’s capacity and enhancing its impact. Taking on
that responsibility will require a stronger and more
strategic commitment to addressing the climate crisis
than APA has made thus far.
To guide APA’s future work on the climate crisis,
the task force developed a set of twelve recommenda-
tions along with suggestions for activities to imple-
ment them (see next section). These recommendations
and activities stem from the earlier set of recommen-
dations for APA activities made by the 2008–09 task
force (which were only partially implemented and are
still relevant); recommendations and ideas in the
recent scientific, professional, and policy literature;
and the task force’s considerations of climate change
and responses to it within psychology and other fields.
Reflecting the magnitude and complexity of the
climate crisis, a great deal of work is suggested for
APA. Thus, the task force also offers comments on how
APA might implement, manage, and prioritize the
proposed activities.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS19
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APA
7 These domains are not intended to map exactly to the organizational structure of APA’s central office. For example, the Research domain
encompasses activities in the Science Directorate, Office of Publications and Databases, and other units, and the Practice domain includes
activities in the Practice Directorate (health service psychology) and Science Directorate (applied psychology), among other units.
Building on the deliberations and observations
described in the preceding sections, the task force
developed recommendations to advance work on cli-
mate change within five primary domains of APA’s
central office programmatic activities: Research,
Practice, Education, Advocacy, and Communications.
Following its charge, the task force also developed rec-
ommendations for APA’s own energy use and sustain-
ability practices.
7
Although each domain is addressed
separately, they are interrelated. For example, research
and practice on climate change inform one another,
and education, advocacy, and communications draw
on shared approaches for conveying information and
influencing attitudes and behaviors. Moreover, APA’s
efforts to enhance its own energy use and sustainabil-
ity practices can draw on work in all these areas.
For each domain, the task force formulated a pair of
recommendations (see Table 1). One recommendation
in each pair focuses on strengthening the work of
psychologists and APA on climate change, especially
through programs and resources that will enable a
greater number and breadth of psychologists to gain
knowledge, skills, and career opportunities in the area.
The other recommendation in each pair focuses on
broadening the impact of psychologists’ work through
engagement and collaboration with people and organi-
zations in fields beyond psychology and APA.
Each recommendation is accompanied by sugges-
tions for activities that the APA central office can
undertake over the next several years to implement
them. The task force aimed to formulate these recom-
mendations with enough specificity to guide APA
leadership, members, and staff but sufficient breadth
to allow flexibility in light of new developments in
climate change and psychology and at APA.
Although listed separately, the suggested activi-
ties could be integrated into single events and
programs when implemented. For example, the
various meetings and workshops that are proposed
could be components of larger conferences. Ideally,
most activities will be held virtually, to increase access
by a broad range of participants as well as to reduce
costs and avoid greenhouse gas emissions associated
with long-distance travel.
0MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
TABLE 1
Task force recommendations for APA’s work on climate change
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD BROADENING IMPACT
Research
Advance research on climate change
across all areas of psychological
science.
Promote engagement of
psychological scientists with
policymakers, practitioners, and
community members on climate
change issues.
Practice
Build psychologists’ capacities to
support people in mitigating and
adapting to climate change.
Enlarge the range of settings and
partnerships in which psychology
practitioners address climate change.
Education
Incorporate coverage of climate
change into all levels of psychology
education.
Promote coverage of the
psychological dimensions of climate
change in the education of other
professionals and the public.
Advocacy
Engage in sustained advocacy on
climate change to government at all
levels and to business and non-profit
organizations.
Partner on climate advocacy with
other scientific, professional, social
justice, environmental, and health
organizations.
Communications
Serve as an important channel of
information to psychologists about
climate change and how they can
contribute to effective climate action.
Educate the public about the
psychological dimensions of climate
change and effective climate action.
APA’s Energy Use/
Sustainability
Implement a strategic approach to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and improve sustainability across all
of APA’s operations and in the
psychological community.
Engage with other organizations and
the public to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and improve sustainability
practices.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
Research
Psychological research has produced important find-
ings on a variety of topics, including public understand-
ing and attitudes about climate change (Hoggett, 2019;
Hornsey et al., 2018; Milfont, Abrahamse, et al., 2021),
motivations to engage in mitigation and adaptation
efforts (Brick et al., 2021; Sparkman et al., 2021; Truelove
et al., 2015), factors shaping behaviors related to cli-
mate change (Lacroix & Gifford, 2018; Milfont &
Markowitz, 2016), the design of interventions to help
people alter their behaviors (Capstick et al., 2014; Karlin
et al., 2015; Marghetis et al., 2019), and the mental
health impacts of climate change (Burke et al., 2018;
Clayton et al., 2021; Vergunst & Berry, 2021). However,
as noted in previous sections, the field’s full potential to
respond to the climate crisis will not be realized until a
greater number and broader range of psychologists
address it. Research questions bearing on climate
change can be formulated and investigated in virtually
every area of basic and applied psychological research
(as represented, for example, by APA’s 54 divisions and
other psychology organizations). Many current lines of
research could be extended to address climate change
topics, including work in such areas as science educa-
tion, decision-making, organizational behavior, and
disaster response, to name a few.
Expanded psychological research on climate
change can lead to more effective interventions and
services advancing mitigation and adaptation and to a
stronger role for psychology in shaping local, national,
and international policies and programs on climate
change and environmental justice. To have these
impacts, researchers must formulate questions that
address major practical issues related to climate
change and consult with the communities most
involved with or affected by these issues when design-
ing, conducting, and disseminating the research. A line
of research might start with studies in highly controlled
settings or with limited participant samples. It then
may need to be scaled up to determine whether the
results are replicable and meaningful in the real world
(including across populations and cultures) and are
translatable into applications with significant effects
on the trajectory of climate change or its consequences.
Then, as research applications are implemented, further
research is often needed to evaluate their effectiveness,
identify unanticipated outcomes, and design improved
applications. Successful research programs on climate
change require that scientists have ongoing communi-
cations and cooperation with community members,
practitioners, and/or policymakers.
As they investigate climate change, psychologists
can take advantage of the field’s position as a “hub
science” (Cacioppo, 2007) to facilitate the sharing and
integration of research findings and approaches across
disciplines and the formation of multidisciplinary
collaborations. For example, psychologists’ engagement
with researchers in other social science disciplines can
help ensure that all levels of analysis—individual, family,
organizational, community, national, international—are
considered in addressing human behavior related to
climate change (Dietz et al., 2020; Nielsen, Clayton, et
al., 2021; Thomas et al., 2019). Collaborations with
medical, epidemiological, and public health researchers
can produce more sophisticated accounts of the mental,
behavioral, and physical health effects of climate change
and their interactions. And psychological research that
engages with work in biology, environmental sciences,
and agriculture can reveal how the human behavioral
dimensions of climate change are also linked to
pollution, biodiversity loss, land use, and the survival
and health of other species (Inauen et al., 2021).
In addition, fields outside of standard scientific
disciplines offer perspectives and insights that can
enrich psychological science. As noted earlier, the
cultures and knowledge of Indigenous peoples offer
important perspectives for the study of humans’
relationship with nature. Psychologists can also draw
from, and potentially contribute to, scholarship and
creative work in the humanities, arts, design, engineer-
ing, and planning that address climate and the natural
environment (Adamson & Davis, 2018; Baucom, 2020;
Degroot et al., 2021; Holm & Brennan, 2018).
Climate change interacts with other health, social,
and economic challenges as well. Throughout the world,
populations already disadvantaged or discriminated
against often bear the greatest adverse impacts of
climate change (IPCC, 2014a; U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 2021a). Increasingly, groups will be
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
displaced or choose to migrate due to climate change
in concert with other socioeconomic factors; these
groups will face risks of social disruption and health
problems as well as discrimination and conflicts in the
regions to which they move (Carrico & Donato, 2019;
Hauer et al., 2020; White House, 2021; World Bank,
2018, 2021). Overall, researchers must attend to the
experiences and needs of diverse populations to under-
stand climate change and its consequences adequately
and to design mitigation and adaptation strategies that
will be accepted, implemented, and effective (Bradley
et al., 2020; Charlson et al., 2021; Nash et al., 2020;
Pearson & Schuldt, 2018; Tam & Milfont, 2020).
Cross-cultural research, international collaborations,
and direct engagement of researchers with the affected
communities will be valuable for much of this work.
In conducting research to advance mitigation and
adaptation, it will be useful to examine other cases in
which substantial modifications of individual and
collective behavior have been achieved. These include
bans and regulations on various pollutants, adoption of
seatbelts, reductions in tobacco use, and responses to
the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the broader literatures
in such areas as disasters, migration, civil rights, and
war may contain insights regarding how people think
about and respond to environmental and social change
that can inform mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to enhance psychological
research on climate change:
RECOMMENDATION 1
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Advance research on climate change across all
areas of psychological science.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
FACILITATING NEW RESEARCH
• Sponsor inernaional research orshops reies
and hie papers in muliple areas o pscholoical
and mulidisciplinar research o assess he sae o
nolede ideni he research needs o
praciioners policmaers and communiies and
deermine hih-priori opics or ne pscholoi-
cal research on climae chane.
• Deelop join iniiaies ih P diisions ehnic
pscholoical associaions scieniic and scholarl
socieies in pscholo and oher disciplines aca-
demic insiuions museums oos and oher
research oraniaions o plan sponsor conduc and
disseminae pscholoical and mulidisciplinar
research on climae chane.
• Oranie and help obain undin or mulidisci-
plinar research neors and research eams on
speciic hih-priori opics.
• docae or undin o research on pscholo and
climae chane b oernmen and priae bodies
and oer uidance o researchers seein undin.
See also docac recommendaions.
PUBLICATIONS
• or ih ediors o include climae chane in he
scopes o all P journals deelop special journal
secions on climae chane and solici submissions
on climae chane or P journals and boos.
• plore deelopmen o a ne journal on he ps-
choloical dimensions o climae chane ha ould
sere as a major oule or hih-quali research and
inormaion across he breadh o pscholo and
relaed mulidisciplinar areas. o enhance impac
he journal mih adop such eaures as open
access rapid reie polic bries educaional
maerials and summaries or non-specialiss.
• im o mae aricles abou climae chane in all
P journals open access o all readers.
• Build and mainain a reposior o aricles daases
and relaed maerials on pscholoical research on
climae chane rom boh P and non-P sources.
MEETINGS
• Mae climae chane research includin mulidis-
ciplinar or one o he recurrin hemes o Ps
annual conenion and is oher scieniic eens.
• Sponsor irual inernaional meeins o scieniss
praciioners and policmaers o disseminae
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
research indins eamine he pracical applica-
ions o curren pscholoical and mulidisciplinar
research on climae chane and deelop approaches
or increasin he uili o research or pracice and
polic deelopmen.
• Oranie irual presenaions discussions and
rainins on pscholoical research on climae
chane aimed a mulidisciplinar and inernaional
audiences includin researchers praciioners and
policmaers. lso promoe and mae aailable o
pscholoiss similar resources rom oher disci-
plines and proessions ha can enhance pscholo-
ical research.
RECOMMENDATION 2
BROADENING IMPACT
Promote engagement of psychological
scientists with policymakers, practitioners, and
community members on climate change issues.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
EXPANDING SCIENTISTS’ REACH
• rain pscholoical scieniss on ho o presen
heir climae research eeciel o policmaers
and arrane opporuniies or pscholoical scien-
iss o ie esimon and mee ih oernmen
oicials o adocae or science-based climae poli-
cies. See also docac recommendaions.
• Sponsor inernships elloships and oher place-
mens o pscholoical scieniss ho or on cli-
mae opics ihin oernmen polic and
adocac oraniaions.
• docae or and encourae reaer paricipaion
b pscholoiss in he or o he Ineroernmenal
Panel on Climae Chane and oher naional and
inernaional climae research bodies.
FOSTERING COOPERATION
• Conene irual meeins ha brin pscholoical
scieniss oeher ih U.S. and inernaional lead-
ers on climae issues rom non-research ields e..
praciioners communi roups enironmenal
jusice oraniaions oundaions businesses
non-oernmenal oraniaions aih roups
adocaes aciiss ariss polic specialiss o-
ernmen oicials o ideni research prioriies
co-desin research projecs and discuss he iner-
preaion o research indins and ho o appl
indins or reaes impac.
• Sponsor aherins o scieniss and members o
arious secors o he eneral public o share nol-
ede and eperiences relaed o climae ideni
research needs plan research projecs and discuss
eecie and equiable as o appl indins rom
research.
• Proide rainin and uidance o boh scieniss and
non-scieniss on ho he can successull com-
municae and or oeher in he plannin con-
duc disseminaion and applicaion o research.
Practice
Psychological practice on climate change encom-
passes both mitigation of and adaptation to climate
change. For mitigation, psychologists’ work includes
helping individuals, households, organizations, and
communities alter the types and amounts of energy
they use; contributing to the development and imple-
mentation of new technologies that produce lower
levels of greenhouse gas emissions; and working with
governments, businesses, and other institutions to
design policies, environments, and processes that
lead to lower emissions (Lutzke & Árvai, 2021; Sintov
& Schultz, 2015; Whitmarsh et al., 2021; Wolske &
Stern, 2018). Such efforts may involve, for example,
working with communities to modify the opportuni-
ties and incentives in people’s environments that
influence their patterns of energy use, or helping to
plan and manage organizational change to support
new work or travel patterns or adoption of new tech-
nologies (Cambridge Sustainability Commission on
Scaling Behaviour Change, 2021; Unsworth et al.,
2021). Psychologists are increasingly interested in
mitigation actions that result in rapid, large-scale
decreases in emissions, which require consideration
of a broad range of behaviors and of the social, cul-
4MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
tural, and economic contexts of behavior (Nielsen,
Clayton, et al., 2021).
Successful mitigation will require systemic changes
at the organizational, community, national, and inter-
national levels. Psychologists can help design and
implement mechanisms for bringing together stake-
holders in ways that allow all relevant perspectives and
interests to be represented in the development of new
missions and organizational structures aimed at reduc-
ing emissions (e.g., customers, suppliers, investors,
neighbors, and regulators of energy companies). They
can also help train and support organizational and
political leaders responsible for advancing systemic
changes, such as in motivating parties to participate in
change processes, handling conflicts among parties,
managing and communicating about complexity and
uncertainty, and recovering from unanticipated conse-
quences of change processes.
Psychologists’ work on adaptation includes
immediate counseling and support for people who
have experienced disasters, extreme heat, migration,
and other consequences of climate change, as well as
counseling for climate-related distress (eco-anxiety)
and longer-term treatment of conditions—such as
mental health symptoms, substance misuse, academic
problems, interpersonal conflicts, and violence—that
are more likely to occur or worsen because of climate
change (Baudon & Jachens, 2021; Clayton et al., 2021;
Coffey et al., 2021; Ingle & Mikulewicz, 2020; Lawrance
et al., 2021; McBride et al., 2021; Monsell et al., 2021;
Obradovich et al., 2018; Pihkala, 2020; Suh et al., 2021).
Psychologists may also work to prevent such condi-
tions by implementing school and community programs
to build people’s socioemotional skills, resilience, and
empowerment (Doppelt, 2016; Everett et al., 2020;
Ntontis et al., 2020). In addition, psychologists help
people manage the psychological and behavioral
aspects of physical health conditions that can arise
from climate change (e.g., pain management, medica-
tion adherence) and helping them adopt positive health
behaviors (related to diet, activity, sleep, etc.) (Santos
et al., 2021).
Further, psychologists can help guide disaster
preparation, response, and recovery by households,
organizations, and communities as well as contribute
to the development and implementation of public
policies and programs for addressing long-term climate
change impacts (van Valkengoed & Steg, 2019). And
they can provide guidance and services in communities
that will or have received climate migrants and refugees.
Practitioners’ interventions are generally rooted in
research, but they may also be guided by current environ-
mental and sociopolitical developments and people’s
experiences and preferences. Although the ideal founda-
tion for practice is rigorous research, relevant research
may not exist or be complete or may not yet be translat-
able or scalable for all areas of practice. Thus, interven-
tions may need to be designed or selected based on the
best available research on the topic and inferences or
projections from evidence and accumulated knowledge
in related areas. (The process and outcomes of imple-
menting an intervention that had not been fully validated
may then become a topic for research.) Whatever the
basis for an intervention, it should be considered and
discussed openly by stakeholder representatives before
implementation to ensure it is understood, accepted,
feasible, and appropriately adapted and managed.
Consulting and co-designing with stakeholders is vital in
working in communities with a history of disadvantage
or environmental burden, so that past injustices are not
repeated or reinforced.
As with research, more psychologists, working in a
broader range of domains, need to become involved in
mitigation and adaptation efforts. Practitioners in
nearly all areas of psychology (e.g., members of APA
and of other psychology organizations in the U.S. and
globally) have expertise and experience that could be
applied to climate change issues. And, again, like
research, the value and impact of psychology practi-
tioners’ work will be increased through ongoing
communications and collaborations with practitioners
and professionals in other fields, policymakers, and
community members.
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to enhance psychological
practice on climate change:
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
RECOMMENDATION 3
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Build psychologists’ capacities to support people
in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• sablish and mainain a reposior o inormaion
on eecie assessmens inerenions serices
and prorams or miiaion and adapaion in
dierse populaions includin inormaion on heir
heoreical and empirical oundaions.
• Produce user-riendl rien and ideo maerials
or praciioners and heir cliens or use in sharin
inormaion abou miiaion and adapaion and
delierin inerenions and serices.
• Sponsor sessions or praciioners ihin he U.S. and
inernaionall ineresed in miiaion and adapa-
ion o learn abou research in heir areas and o share
heir eperiences and needs ih researchers.
• Proide uidance and rainin or praciioners ho
or ih oraniaions and communiies o
deelop and implemen plans or reducin reen-
house as emissions. mon oher eaures hese
plans ould:
» Address the roles of formal and informal leaders
and other group members, as well as influences
of outside groups and institutions.
» Consider how individuals’ knowledge, attitudes,
goals, and behaviors; interpersonal behaviors;
organizational structures and processes; cultural
factors; physical environments; and technologies
interact to determine energy use and emission
levels.
» Specify targets, actions, assessments, and feed-
back.
• Proide uidance and rainin or pracice ih spe-
ciic populaions such as:
» People and communities who are affected by cli-
mate change as well as experience discrimination
and economic disadvantage.
» People and communities facing extreme conse-
quences of climate change, such as natural disas-
ters and population displacement, migration, and
refugeehood.
» Youth who have concerns, distress, or anxiety
about climate change and its implications for their
future lives.
» First responders, activists, journalists, scientists,
attorneys, and others whose work focuses on
climate change.
• Oer uidance on sel-care or pscholoiss ho
eperience sress or neaie emoions rom or-
in on climae chane and relaed issues.
• Incorporae consideraions o climae chane ino
uure P pracice uidelines here relean.
• Iniiae he desin and ormal reconiion o spe-
cialies proiciencies and/or ceriicaions or cli-
mae chane–relaed proessional pracice e..
hrouh he P Commission or he econiion o
Specialies and Subspecialies in Proessional
Pscholo.
RECOMMENDATION 4
BROADENING IMPACT
Enlarge the range of settings and partnerships
in which psychology practitioners address
climate change.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
NEW COLLABORATIONS
• Build and srenhen inernaional neors o ps-
choloiss oher healhcare proessionals social
serice proiders local oernmens businesses
aih leaders irs responders and ohers o enable
more eicien and coordinaed delier o serices
o communiies eperiencin naural disasers
relaed o climae chane.
• Proide uidance and sponsor plannin meeins
inolin healhcare proessionals and communi
6MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
leaders o esablish communi-based pschoso-
cial resilience prorams or preenin neaie
menal healh impacs o climae chane and ei-
cienl delierin care hen needed.
• or ih oernmens aornes and priae
oraniaions o ensure ha people ho hae
miraed due o climae chane includin reu-
ees receie appropriae menal and behaioral
healhcare coordinaed ih oher healh social
and leal serices.
• Proide uidance o pscholoiss on opporuniies
or oraniin and orin ih oernmen eni-
ies priae companies and communi roups on
climae chane miiaion plannin and implemen-
aion. Include adice on ho o maimie pschol-
oiss eecieness in hose seins and ho o
deec and reduce riss or dela coopaion and
reenashin Cisla e al. 01 amb e al.
00.
ENGAGING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
• Build and srenhen connecions ih naional and
inernaional oraniaions represenin labor busi-
ness armin and oher economic secors o
enhance miiaion and adapaion eors in or-
place and communi seins.
• nae ih proessional associaions in such ields
as manaemen urban/reional plannin eni-
neerin archiecure and indusrial desin o incor-
porae consideraion o pscholoical aspecs o
miiaion and adapaion ino hose ields.
• Help praciioners arrane o oer serices and pro-
rams in libraries museums oos aquariums
pars and oher public spaces.
• Sere as a sponsor o oraniaions and eens con-
cerned ih lare-scale miiaion eors e..
Behaior ner and Climae Chane Conerence
and encourae reaer inolemen o
pscholoiss.
• aciliae parnerships o pscholoiss ih climae
chane and susainabili oicers in oernmen
and business e.. members o he ssociaion o
Climae Chane Oicers and merican Socie o
dapaion Proessionals o ensure inclusion o
menal and behaioral healh in hose oicers
scope o or and o appl pscholo o phsical
miiaion and adapaion eors.
Education
The preceding sections on research and practice point
to needs to increase the number of psychological
researchers and practitioners working on climate
change and to expand the range of domains and set-
tings in which they work. A major route to achieving
these goals is to incorporate coverage of climate
change into the training of psychologists. Ideally, the
coverage of climate change will take a multidisciplinary
approach, as psychological work that connects with
other fields often has greater value and impact.
At the same time, trainees and professionals in
other fields can also benefit from education on the
psychological dimensions of climate change. Gaining
knowledge about psychological research and practice
can broaden their perspectives and enhance the effec-
tiveness of their work, as well as enable them to collab-
orate more successfully with psychologists and others
who work on or are affected by climate change.
Educating the general public is necessary as well. By
gaining appreciation of the psychological, not just physi-
cal, dimensions of climate change, people will attain a
more complete understanding of the climate challenge
and be better equipped to contribute to discussions and
decision-making about climate change policies and
programs. In some communities, educators may need to
address denial of the reality of climate change and its
human causes (Sinatra & Hofer, 2021; Wong-Parodi &
Feygina, 2020).
Climate change education can take place in various
formal and informal settings, including the classroom,
laboratory, clinic, museums, internet, and elsewhere.
Of course, education programs should be geared to the
developmental and educational levels of the partici-
pants. For all settings and levels, programs can aim to
raise participants’ awareness of how humans engage
with the rest of nature, how climate change emerges
from a complex set of interacting physical and human
processes, and how climate change is related to other
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
environmental challenges (e.g., pollution, biodiversity
loss, deforestation) (Guzmán et al., 2021). Programs
can also show how climate change is linked to social,
economic, and political conditions (including those
leading to human rights violations and environmental
injustice) and inform participants about actions they
can take to address climate change and its conse-
quences (Jafry, 2019).
Many participants will already have knowledge,
assumptions, and attitudes about climate change
when they enter an education program (van der Linden,
2021). Program leaders can respectfully address distor-
tions or misinformation that any participants express.
And all participants would benefit from being taught
how to identify, question, and inoculate themselves
against misinformation (Compton et al., 2021). Partic-
ipants can also be shown how to make sense of and
contribute effectively to highly polarized or politicized
debates and be given the space to exchange views
about open issues surrounding climate change and
climate solutions. The topic of climate change presents
an opportunity to encourage critical thinking and
constructive debate on a foundation of scientific
evidence (Lombardi et al., 2013).
Participants may experience a variety of emotional
responses to climate change throughout the course of
an educational program and after it ends. For some,
these may take the form of depression, post-traumatic
stress, or anxiety from having experienced or from
envisioning climate-related disasters or injustices
(Clayton et al., 2021; Hickman et al., 2021). Educational
programs can help support participants by including
guidance on how to identify one’s feelings about
climate change and express and act on them in positive
ways (such as by seeking social support and through
individual or collective activism). For those partici-
pants with more severe emotional reactions, referrals
can be made to mental health professionals.
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to enhance education on
climate change:
RECOMMENDATION 5
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Incorporate coverage of climate change into all
levels of psychology education.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• Deelop curricula eboos ideos and oher
eachin maerials on climae chane and is ps-
choloical dimensions or hih school underradu-
ae raduae and coninuin educaion courses in
pscholo. ppl principles rom educaional
pscholo and science educaion in desinin
hese maerials.
• Proide uidance and undin or courses research
eperiences pracica and inernships on climae
chane includin mulidisciplinar/muliproes-
sional aciiies or underraduae and raduae
sudens and posdocoral ellos in pscholo
and oher ields.
• Oer uidance o acul on he desin o dual
majors e.. pscholo/enironmenal science
minors and ceriicaes or underraduae educa-
ion in he pscholoical dimensions o climae
chane.
• Oer uidance on successul mulidisciplinar
co-menorship o acul in pscholo and oher
disciplines ho or ih raduae sudens and
posdocoral ellos pursuin mulidisciplinar
or on climae chane.
• eularl include educaional sessions on climae
chane opics in Ps annual conenion and oher
eens.
• Include coerae o educaion abou pscholoical
aspecs o climae chane in uidelines such as Ps
Naional Sandards or Hih School Pscholo
Curricula and uidelines or he Underraduae
Pscholo Major and in adisor maerials or rad-
uae and coninuin educaion.
8MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
RECOMMENDATION 6
BROADENING IMPACT
Promote coverage of the psychological
dimensions of climate change in the education
of other professionals and the public.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• or ih acul and associaions in oher ields o
desin curricula and course maerials abou he
pscholoical dimensions o climae chane or use
in he rainin o oher proessionals such as eni-
ronmenal scieniss phsicians nurses laers
journaliss cler urban/reional planners ores
manaers enineers and archiecs.
• Deelop curricula and eachin maerials or ele-
menar and middle school sudens on climae
chane and pscholo ih educaional and eni-
ronmenal oraniaions.
• Deelop inormal educaional maerials and eperi-
ences or he public on climae chane and pschol-
o hrouh collaboraions ih oher oraniaions
e.. broadcasers libraries museums oos
naional and sae pars.
• Include coerae o climae chane in maerials or
broader pscholo educaion in schools and public
seins.
Advocacy
APA’s advocacy encompasses a range of activities:
educating and sharing information with policymakers
and leaders of governmental and other organizations,
advising them on the development and updating of
policies and programs, advocating for and against spe-
cific policy and program proposals (and related fund-
ing), and organizing and training psychologists to be
effective advocates. In the last several years, APA has
strengthened its advocacy on climate change issues,
focusing primarily on the U.S. federal government (see
Appendix). Building on the 2011 and 2020 Council of
Representatives resolutions, APA has argued to
Congress, the White House, and executive branch
departments and agencies that climate change is
driven largely by human behavior (at individual, group,
and societal levels), that it is harmful for psychological
health and well-being, and that responses to climate
change must be guided by a scientific understanding
of behavior.
APA has also emphasized that responses must
address environmental justice issues, as groups that
are socially and economically marginalized often bear
the greatest negative impacts of climate change while
other groups, including those that make larger contri-
butions to climate change, are generally shielded from
its most extreme effects.
Psychological research and practice are relevant to
many topics concerning climate change adaptation
and mitigation that federal policies and programs are
likely to address in coming years. These include disas-
ter preparation and response, prevention and treat-
ment services for climate-related mental health
problems, services for climate-related migrants and
refugees (both domestic and international), and transi-
tions to new forms of energy, transportation, and
agriculture (including support for affected workers and
communities). Psychology can also contribute to policy
and program development in other areas in which
climate issues arise, such as public health; infrastruc-
ture, housing, and community development; popula-
tion and reproduction; national security and
international affairs; and taxation and financial regula-
tion (e.g., understanding incentives and potential
behavioral outcomes of climate-related financial
policies). Further, existing and new federal programs
addressing climate change could be made more effec-
tive and equitable with input from psychologists,
including from such areas as community, educational,
environmental, organizational, and social psychology.
While APA pursues some climate advocacy efforts
on its own, it also collaborates with other scientific,
health, and environmental organizations. Collabora-
tions enable scientific and policy expertise to be shared,
advocacy resources to be coordinated, and APA’s
perspectives to be incorporated into a greater number
of advocacy efforts. Through collaborations, APA
contributes to advocacy on key climate topics that
involve fields outside psychology, including topics
related to physical health, new technologies (e.g.,
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS9
electric vehicles), and energy or economic policies.
This engagement elevates APA’s voice on major public
policy issues and increases the likelihood that other
organizations will support advocacy rooted in psychol-
ogy in which APA takes the lead. APA’s participation in
advocacy on topics that extend beyond psychology has
focused on issues and positions for which the evidence
base is strong and broadly accepted (as in APA’s
endorsement of the conclusions of climate science in
the 2011 and 2020 resolutions).
As climate change is global, APA engages in
advocacy at the international level. It has begun to do
this through advocacy to federal departments (such as
the Department of State), involvement with United
Nations agencies (APA currently has liaisons to the
United Nations and observer status with the Intergov-
ernmental Panel on Climate Change and Framework
Convention on Climate Change), and collaborations
with other national psychological associations and the
Global Psychology Alliance (e.g., the 2019 Lisbon confer-
ence). These efforts are guided by international
standards and goals, such as found in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Declara-
tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and United
Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. In future
years, APA can work with these and other governmental
and non-governmental organizations to address major
international climate issues, including supporting less
wealthy countries and Indigenous populations in their
efforts to have a voice and receive just treatment in the
design and implementation of global climate policies
and helping ensure that countries are prepared to meet
the needs and respect the human rights of climate-re-
lated migrants and refugees.
Additional opportunities for APA advocacy are with
state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, which
increasingly are developing and implementing their own
climate change policies and programs (Farber, 2021;
Jones, 2020). Critical work on greenhouse gas emission
reductions, disaster preparation and response, public
health (including mental and behavioral health), social
services, education, regional planning, and economic
and infrastructure development is carried out by govern-
ments at these levels. While reflecting regional needs
and perspectives, their efforts also serve as models and
test cases for one another and the federal government.
These governments’ experiences can be highly informa-
tive for APA and other organizations as they work to
identify and promote effective forms of climate action.
In turn, APA can share psychological knowledge and
perspectives with these governments both directly and
through such organizations as the National Conference
of State Legislatures, National Governors Association,
U.S. Climate Alliance, National Congress of American
Indians, National Association of Counties, National
League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Climate
Mayors, National Association of County and City Health
Officials, National Association of State Mental Health
Program Directors, America Is All In, and related groups.
State and territorial psychological associations and
ethnic psychological associations can be invited to
serve as partners with APA in this work.
Further, APA can explore advocacy directed to
businesses, trade associations, labor unions, and
non-profit organizations. It could provide information
and guidance about the psychological aspects of
mitigating and adapting to climate change to entities
operating in sectors such as energy, transportation,
manufacturing, agriculture, waste management,
finance, health, education, and social services.
APA’s advocacy to governments and private entities
might lead to partnerships or consultant relationships
with them on specific initiatives, for example, in design-
ing a new program or preparing educational materials.
As noted under Practice, such relationships can be
productive but must be carefully vetted. APA should
ensure that the methods and expected outcomes of any
initiative it signs onto with another entity will have a
genuinely positive impact on climate and environmental
justice, rather than serve private interests alone or as a
cover for other activities that may be harmful to the
climate or marginalized groups.
At the same time, APA must respect the expertise
and interests of the entities it works with. It can learn
much from organizations, such as tribal governments
and environmental justice organizations, that repre
-
sent communities with substantial knowledge and
experience related to climate change and its effects.
Their perspectives can contribute to the development
of APA’s policy positions and advocacy strategies.
0MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
To complement the advocacy work of its own
professional staff, APA can encourage individual
psychologists to engage in climate advocacy and activ-
ism, either in concert with APA or on their own. It can
offer training to psychologists on climate policy and
environmental justice issues, methods for advocating
effectively to policymakers in government and the
private sector at national and regional levels, and
methods for organizing other individuals in climate
advocacy. To support such efforts, APA can sponsor
advocacy days for groups of psychologists, facilitate
other meetings and communications between psychol-
ogists and policymakers, and provide policy and
advocacy informational materials. Findings from
psychological and other social science research on
communication, persuasion, and political behavior can
be incorporated into the training of psychologists on
advocacy and activism (Kotcher et al., 2021; Schulte et
al., 2021; Swim et al., 2021).
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to enhance advocacy on
climate change:
RECOMMENDATION 7
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Engage in sustained advocacy on climate
change to government at all levels and to
business and non-profit organizations.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• pand Ps curren adocac eors on climae
chane direced o oernmens a he U.S. ederal
and inernaional leels. s ih oher P adocac
or speciic oals and sraeies ould be deer-
mined based on periodic assessmens o he polic
and poliical landscape bu in eneral hese eors
ould inole he olloin:
» Focus on issues for which psychology has a unique
or important perspective.
» Emphasize science: Advocate for federal funding
of psychological research on climate change and
for the application of psychological research in
federal climate policies and programs. In particu-
lar, highlight specific areas of psychological
research and application that have potential for
strong impacts but have not received sufficient
attention or funding.
» Emphasize environmental justice and related social
justice and human rights issues in the U.S. and
internationally, including those linked to climate-re-
lated migration.
» Produce policy briefs, research summaries, guid-
ance on successful interventions and programs,
and other resources on climate change issues
from a psychological perspective to inform poli-
cymakers, advocates, and the public.
» Collaborate on advocacy with APA divisions, state
and regional psychological associations, ethnic
psychological associations, Global Psychology
Alliance, and other psychological organizations.
» Strengthen involvement in United Nations bodies
that address climate change, including the
Framework Convention on Climate Change,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
United Nations Environment Programme, Pan
American Health Organization, and World Health
Organization.
• Deelop ne P adocac eors on climae
chane ih eaures lie hose aboe direced o:
» State, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
» Businesses, trade associations, labor unions,
non-profit associations, and other private organi-
zations.
• ducae pscholoiss and oher pscholoical
oraniaions on climae chane issues and ho o
pursue adocac on hem boh ih P and on
heir on.
» Include coverage of broader economic, social,
political, and legal contexts in which climate
issues arise.
» Include training on methods for activism and
public communications about climate and related
issues.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS1
• docae hrouh he jusice ssem:
» Develop and endorse amicus briefs for federal and
international court cases related to climate change.
» Train and support psychologists involved in cases
related to climate change, including those con-
cerning climate migrants, refugees, and displaced
populations.
RECOMMENDATION 8
BROADENING IMPACT
Partner on climate advocacy with other
scientific, professional, social justice,
environmental, and health organizations.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• Parner ih non-pscholoical oraniaions on
naional and inernaional adocac hrouh esab-
lished climae coaliions see e.. lliances or
Climae cion as ell as ad hoc coaliions or
addressin speciic opics.
» Goals of coalitions should be compatible with
APA’s advocacy goals on climate change and
other issues.
» Positions that depend on non-psychological evi-
dence can be supported when the evidence is
strong and broadly accepted.
» APA can take leadership roles in some of these
coalitions.
• nae science and healh adocac coaliions o
hich P is a member e.. Coaliion or Healh
undin Coaliion or Naional Science undin
Coaliion or Naional Securi esearch Consorium
or Ciiens ih Disabiliies Consorium o Social
Science ssociaions ederaion o ssociaions in
Behaioral and Brain Sciences Menal Healh
iaison roup esearchmerica in or on cli-
mae chane issues.
• o la he oundaions or possible uure adocac
parnerships share inormaion abou he pscho-
loical dimensions o climae chane issues ih
non-pscholoical oraniaions and learn rom
hose oraniaions abou he perspecies o oher
ields and communiies.
Communications
Successful implementation of the initiatives recom-
mended in the preceding sections will require APA to
communicate broadly with psychologists and other
professionals about opportunities for participation in
the initiatives and their products and outcomes. Building
on these communications, APA can serve as a compre-
hensive source of information to journalists, policymak-
ers, community leaders, business owners, youth, and
other elements of the public about the psychological
aspects of climate change and how they can contribute
to efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In
these ways, APA can encourage more people in the U.S.
and globally to engage in individual and collective cli-
mate action and provide them with resources and guid-
ance to strengthen their work.
Various authors have examined how to communi-
cate effectively about climate change (Holmes &
Richardson, 2020; Markowitz & Guckian, 2018).
Research findings and other organizations’ experiences
suggest points such as the following:
• Place climae chane in he cone o oher opics
o imporance o speciic audiences such as oher
enironmenal challenes e.. polluion biodier-
si loss human rihs enironmenal jusice na-
ural disasers miraion healh inereneraional
equi and economic polic.
• Oer consrucie responses o climae chane ha
people can adop no and oin orard ihou
blamin hem or pas behaior or inacion. Poin o
he beneis o climae acion or healh ell-bein
and social jusice drain on sources rused b he
audience. Such an approach can moiae people o
ac and help hem aoid eelins o uil despair or
apah Bain e al. 016 eier e al. 019
Maroi ucian 018 Ojala 01.
• al abou collecie acions—ha people can do
oeher as communiies and socieies—and no jus
indiidual acions Climae Oureach 01. his
approach reconies ha he impacs o mos
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
peoples indiidual acions on climae chane are lim-
ied as ell as hihlihs he pscholoical beneis o
orin ih ohers ie 01. ecie collecie
acion ma include no onl speciic miiaion or
adapaion projecs e.. insulain homes disaser
response plannin bu also aciism on poliical and
economic issues relaed o climae chane.
• ailor erminolo o he purpose audience and
cone o he messae. or eample such erms as
climae change climae crisis climae emergenc global
arming and planear healh crisis are all useul
labels or he problem bu some erms ma be more
eecie or appropriae or paricular seins or
audiences Bruine de Bruin e al. 01 Schuld e al.
00 Sol Har eldman 018 01. he same
poin holds or alernaie erms or speciic con-
ceps such as greenhouse gas and hea-rapping gas.
Cerain erms includin miigaion and adapaion
ma need o be deined or some audiences or be
replaced b oher less absrac erms.
• Use echniques such as meaphors analoies so-
ries raphics and animaion o cone inormaion
abou comple processes and ssemic relaion-
ships inoled in climae chane. esearch on eni-
ronmenal communicaion and science educaion
can help uide desin o such maerials Consanino
eber 01 Danielson e al. 016 aimi e al.
01 hibodeau e al. 01.
• im o deec preen and challene he arious
orms o misinormaion disinormaion and ae
nes abou climae chane and each people ho
o do his hemseles Compon e al. 01 arrell
e al. 019 Sinara ombardi 00. Consider
he muliple acors ha ma lead people o accep
and deend inaccurae inormaion such as insui-
cien nolede coniie biases eposure o pro-
paanda ideoloical belies poliical ailiaions
personal alues and prioriies and social inluences
Naional cademies o Sciences nineerin
Medicine 01 Sinara Hoer 01.
In addition to its own communications, APA can
encourage and train psychologists and others to com-
municate about climate change. Their efforts can take
various forms (speeches, interviews, columns, blogs,
tweets, graphics, videos, discussions, etc.) and be
pitched to local, national, or international audiences.
These communications can serve not only to dissemi-
nate information but also to draw more people to work
on climate issues, facilitate networking among people
with related interests and expertise, and enable new
collaborations for climate action.
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to enhance communica-
tions about climate change:
RECOMMENDATION 9
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Serve as an important channel of information
to psychologists about climate change and how
they can contribute to effective climate action.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• Coninue o inorm he eneral pscholo commu-
ni abou climae chane hrouh reular coerae
in Ps maaine Monior on Pscholog and oher
P nes oules.
• Suppor and ro a communi o pscholoiss
and oher proessionals ih ineress in climae
chane b esablishin a dedicaed nesleer and
ier accoun on pscholo and climae chane.
hese orums ould aciliae he sharin o inor-
maion abou Ps climae chane aciiies as
ell as oher nes opporuniies and commenar
relaed o pscholo and climae chane e.. ne
research job announcemens polic deelopmens
rainins conerences.
• Build and mainain a readil discoerable secion o
he P ebsie ha oranies and lins o inor-
maion abou all o Ps climae chane aciiies
and o oher climae chane maerials.
• chane inormaion on pscholo and climae
chane ih P diisions sae and reional ps-
choloical associaions ehnic pscholoical asso-
ciaions lobal Pscholo lliance and oher
pscholo oraniaions or disseminaion o each
roups members.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
RECOMMENDATION 10
BROADENING IMPACT
Educate the public about the psychological
dimensions of climate change and effective
climate action.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
APA COMMUNICATIONS
• Deelop inormaional maerials or he public on he
pscholoical aspecs o climae chane and climae
acion includin opics liel o dra siniican
ineres such as disaser response enironmenal
jusice menal healh eecs miraion and ouh
concerns. Desin maerials ha appeal o speciic
audiences deined or eample b ae culure or
ineress and disseminae hem hrouh insiu-
ions e.. libraries orplaces communi orani-
aions and channels e.. ebsies ideos social
media ha reach hose audiences.
• ecommend sor ideas epers and inormaion
sources o journaliss and oher radiional and ne
media producers or coerae o he pscholoical
aspecs o climae chane.
• nae ih nes oraniaions and social media
companies e.. Mea/aceboo ier o deelop
sraeies o aciliae disseminaion o accurae
inormaion abou climae chane and limi he
spread o misinormaion.
• In collaboraion ih primar emerenc response
aencies sere as a public inormaion resource on
he pscholoical componens o preparin or and
respondin o climae-relaed disasers.
• Incorporae coerae o climae chane ino oher
P public communicaions ha cone he naure
and scope o pscholo.
• ppl eecie public communicaions approaches
in oher aciiies suesed in his repor such as
polic bries docac inormal public educaion
ducaion and updaes on Ps enironmenal
pracices Ps ner Use and Susainabili.
PSYCHOLOGISTS AS COMMUNICATORS
• Oer rainin or pscholoiss o acquire sills in
communicain and leadin conersaions abou
climae chane ih arious audiences e.. oher
proessionals businesses journaliss ouh com-
muni roups. mon oher opics he rainin
can coer ho o aciliae collecie acion as ell
as ho o address emoional responses o climae
chane and climae-relaed disasers misconcep-
ions abou climae chane and relaed poliical
issues.
• or ih pscholoiss o produce aricles and
blos abou climae chane o appear in oules ha
dra siniican audiences ineresed in pschol-
o he enironmen or jusice issues e..
Pscholog oda ale nironmen 60 Medium.
• Spolih pscholoiss ho enae in public com-
municaion abou climae chane as models or
oher pscholoiss and proessionals.
COLLABORATIONS
• Co-sponsor public orums and orshops ih oher
proessional oraniaions enironmenal jusice
oraniaions schools museums libraries ec. or
sharin inormaion abou he pscholoical aspecs
o climae chane and applin ha inormaion in
plannin climae acion.
• Collaborae ih P diisions and oher pscho-
loical and non-pscholoical oraniaions on
communicaions aciiies abou climae chane
and climae acion.
APA’s Energy Use and Sustainability
Practices
The task force reviewed information provided by APA
staff about the association’s recent energy use, green-
house gas emissions, and sustainability practices and
consulted with APA’s deputy chief executive officer to
learn about the association’s planning in those areas.
An initial assessment indicates that the magnitude of
APA’s greenhouse gas emissions is largely determined
by the sources and amounts of energy that are used at
APA facilities, by APA staff at other locations as part of
4MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
their work, and in professional travel by staff, APA
members, and others involved in APA activities (includ-
ing the annual convention, governance meetings, divi-
sion meetings, and other events). APA’s other
sustainability practices—such as those related to waste
handling, recycling, and water use—have less impact
than emissions on climate change but can affect envi-
ronmental quality and health in other ways.
APA owns two LEED Platinum Certified office build-
ings in downtown Washington, DC. Since the beginning
of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly every APA employee
has worked entirely by telecommuting, most profes-
sional travel has been halted, and most meetings and
conferences have been held virtually. APA’s leadership
is currently considering how the association will operate
in the period following the pandemic with respect to
usage of its office buildings, the distribution of office
work and telework, the role and amount of business
travel, and which meetings and conferences will be held
in person or virtually. This broad examination of the
association’s future operations creates a window of
opportunity for APA to take major steps to reduce its
emissions, improve its sustainability, and serve as a
model of environmental responsibility for psychologists,
other organizations, and the public.
The task force offers the following recommenda-
tions to guide APA’s efforts to improve its energy use
and sustainability practices:
RECOMMENDATION 11
STRENGTHENING THE FIELD
Implement a strategic approach to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and improve
sustainability across all of APA’s operations
and in the psychological community.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
APA BUILDINGS AND PROGRAMS
• Deelop and implemen a comprehensie climae
acion plan o siniicanl reduce ener use and
reenhouse as emissions across all aciiies oer-
seen b Ps cenral oice.
» The plan should consider not only energy use and
emissions at APA’s office buildings but also those
linked to data centers and cloud computing; ship-
ping and mailing; physical storage; APA staff’s
commuting, telecommuting, business travel, and
work-related internet and digital equipment use;
travel and participation of all attendees at APA
meetings and events; and other aspects of APA
operations.
» The plan should include regular greenhouse gas
emissions inventories, quantitative goals for emis-
sions reductions, specific policies and practices to
achieve these goals, and regular progress reports.
» Emission reduction targets should be set in line
with U.S. nationally determined contributions (for
complying with the Paris Agreement) and guid-
ance from sources such as the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, United Nations Global
Compact, and Science Based Targets Initiative.
» The plan might include the purchase of carbon
offsets, but only in addition to (not instead of) APA
reducing its own emissions and only if the offsets
are fully verified.
• Mae mos P eens such as annual conenions
and oernance meeins ull irual o reduce
emissions associaed ih lon-disance rael and
lare proessional aherins.
» Develop criteria for when it would be appropriate
for events to be held in person or in hybrid in-per-
son/virtual form.
» In planning virtual events, APA should apply find-
ings from research and other organizations’
experiences on how to make virtual events pro-
ductive, inclusive, and satisfying for participants.
» Aim for any in-person events to be local or
regional (e.g., in partnership with state and
regional psychological associations).
• ppoin a chie susainabili oicer and/or hire
consulans o oersee he desin and implemena-
ion o he climae acion plan and oher susainabil-
i improemens and o proide onoin uidance
o he associaion.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
• In addiion o mainainin D Plainum
Ceriicaion
8
improe he ener use and susain-
abili o Ps buildins b olloin uidance rom
he Disric o Columbia oernmen Buildin ner
Perormance Sandards and oraniaions such as
he ssociaion or he dancemen o Susainabili
in Hiher ducaion Naional Insiue o Buildin
Sciences and orld esources Insiue.
APA FINANCIAL PRACTICES
• Selec and neoiae ih suppliers and conracors
ih he oal o ensurin ha oods purchased b
P are produced ranspored reccled and dis-
posed o accordin o mehods ha enerae eer
emissions and are more susainable.
• dop a sociall and enironmenall responsible
inesmen srae ha inoles boh diesmen
rom indusries ha harm he enironmen e..
ossil uels and inesmen in indusries ha are
saer or he enironmen e.. solar and ind
ener.
• sablish a reen reolin und such ha cos sa-
ins rom climae and susainabili eors e..
reducin business rael are redireced o ne cli-
mae and susainabili projecs e.. solar panels
elecric ehicle charin saions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL COMMUNITY
• Mee reularl ih P diisions sae and
reional pscholoical associaions ehnic pscho-
loical associaions lobal Pscholo lliance
and oher pscholo oraniaions o share inor-
maion and eperiences and deelop join oals and
iniiaies on reducin reenhouse as emissions
and improin susainabili.
• Produce uidance e.. aricles ebsies ideos
on reducin reenhouse as emissions and impro-
in susainabili or pscholo deparmens pro-
rams and clinics and or indiidual pscholoiss
in boh heir proessional and personal lies.
8 The adequacy of the LEED certification system is currently under debate. See Hu (2021), Scofield (2021), and Scofield et al. (2021).
RECOMMENDATION 12
BROADENING IMPACT
Engage with other organizations and the public
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
improve sustainability practices.
APA can implement this recommendation through
activities such as the following:
• Produce and disseminae reular repors on he
associaions proress in reducin emissions and
improin susainabili includin illusraie
accouns o he decisions processes obsacles and
radeos ha led o paricular oucomes.
• Deelop iniiaies ih enans o Ps o build-
ins o reduce emissions and improe susainabili
in boh common and leased spaces.
• chane inormaion and eperiences and deelop
join iniiaies ih oher scieniic and proessional
oraniaions e.. Consorium o Social Science
ssociaions ederaion o ssociaions in
Behaioral and Brain Sciences merican
eophsical Union Inernaional Science Council
Inernaional Union o Pscholoical Science
Naional cademies o Sciences nineerin and
Medicine and orld esources Insiue.
• Incorporae uidance on seps ha indiiduals and
households can ae o reduce emissions and
improe susainabili in Ps communicaions
ih he public abou pscholo and climae
chane see Communicaions recommendaions.
6MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS
It will be the responsibility of APA’s leadership to
determine whether and how to implement the recom-
mendations and suggested activities put forward in
this report. To support planning, the task force offers
the following thoughts on how APA might achieve a
successful implementation:
DISTRIBUTION OF WORK
Given that the twelve recommendations fall within the
domains of various APA directorates and offices, the
suggested activities could be pursued in parallel by
different groups of staff (and perhaps their associated
boards and committees). This distribution entails an
APA-wide approach to addressing climate change.
STAFF COORDINATION
Specific staff member(s) should be assigned the
responsibility of coordinating climate change activi-
ties across directorates/offices. These staff would
facilitate information sharing and help ensure consis-
tency of goals and approaches. In addition, these
staff could serve as contact points for engaging with
divisions and outside organizations and take lead
roles in any special projects.
ADVISORY GROUP
An advisory group of external experts in climate
change (from psychology and other fields) would be
needed to inform staff of new developments and ideas
related to climate change and to offer input on priori-
tizing and planning APA’s activities. This group might
also engage in projects on its own, with staff oversight
and support. (APA’s Coalition for Psychology in
Schools and Education is one potential model for such
a group.)
PRIORITIZATION OF ACTIVITIES
As each of the twelve recommendations captures a
critical area of work, it is vital that progress be made
on each one. Ideally, activities within each recommen-
dation will be initiated as soon as possible and sub-
stantive work on each recommendation will be
underway within two years. A strategic approach to
prioritizing and selecting activities would involve iden-
tifying a mix of those that address mitigation and
address adaptation, as well as a mix of those that will
have rapid impacts (given the need to address the
immediate threats of climate change) and those that
will have longer-term impacts (as climate change and
its effects will continue).
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
INTEGRATION WITH OTHER ACTIVITIES
To supplement APA efforts that are explicitly focused
on climate change, work on climate change can also
be included within other APA programs and initiatives,
such as those addressing population health, health
equity, anti-racism, human rights, ethics, socioeco-
nomic status, changes in the workplace, and interna-
tional collaboration.
BROAD ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
Climate change overlaps and interacts with other envi-
ronmental problems that are the result of human
behaviors and have impacts on human health and
well-being. These include pollution, biodiversity loss,
soil depletion, ocean acidification, deforestation, animal
diseases, and pandemics. Ideally, APA’s activities would
address environmental challenges in a comprehensive
manner that encompasses these problems as well as
climate change. This approach would strengthen the
impact of APA’s work, in part by enabling it to engage
with a broader range of stakeholders and partners.
PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
APA should develop annual goals, work plans, and
budgets for its climate change and environmental
activities (while maintaining flexibility to address
emerging opportunities and needs). Some activities
listed as separate items in this report could be com-
bined into single events or projects. Assessments of
effectiveness, using pre-identified objective metrics,
should be used to guide improvements in APA’s
activities and to focus APA’s efforts in areas where
they can have the greatest impact. The advisory
group noted above, as well as relevant boards and
committees, could contribute to setting goals and
assessing effectiveness.
AWARD
APA could consider establishing an award to honor
psychologists who have made significant contribu-
tions to addressing climate change and related envi-
ronmental issues. Such an award would help raise the
visibility of work in this area and motivate other psy-
chologists to pursue new efforts.
8MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
FINAL COMMENT
The task force offers these recommendations and
suggested activities as guidance for the next stage of
APA’s work on the climate crisis. It invites others to
refine these ideas and to offer additional ideas for how
psychologists and APA can effectively respond to the
crisis. Most important, however, is that APA act. The
task force urges APA to direct its attention and
resources to mobilizing psychologists to address the
fundamental threat of climate change to the health,
well-being, and equity of people throughout the world.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS9
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Al-Delaimy, W., Ramanathan, V., & Sánchez Sorondo, M. E. (Eds.).
(2020). Health of people, health of planet and our responsibility:
Climate change, air pollution and health. Springer Nature.
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APPENDIX
APA’s Climate Change Activities (2007–21)
APA staff identified the following as major activities on climate
change that were managed, conducted, or directly supported by
the APA central office (including activities of boards and the
Council of Representatives) in the period 2007–21:
• In a 00 column in he P Monior on Pscholog Ps
ecuie Direcor or Science called or pscholoiss o
address climae chane.
• In 008 P Presiden lan . adin ideniied climae chane
as one o Socies rand Challenes and made i a heme o
his presidenial address. P produced a boole or he eneral
public describin pscholoical research on climae chane.
• lso in 008 he P Board o Direcors esablished he P
as orce on he Inerace Beeen Pscholo and lobal
Climae Chane. he as orce produced a major repor 009
ha laer became a special issue o merican Pschologis 011.
• In 011 buildin on he 009 repor he P Council o
epresenaies passed a esoluion on irmin Pscholoiss
ole in ddressin lobal Climae Chane hich seres as he
oundaion o Ps subsequen or in his area.
• P produced hree repors ih ecomerica:
» Beyond Storms & Droughts: The Psychological Impacts of
Climate Change (2014). This report served as a major
source for the mental health section of the U.S. federal gov-
ernment’s 2016 Climate and Health Assessment.
» Mental Health and Our Changing Climate (2017), which
received widespread attention in the media and policy com-
munities.
» Mental Health and Our Changing Climate, 2021 Edition
• P receied obserer saus in o Unied Naions bodies
concerned ih climae chane:
» Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2017), which
enables APA to send representatives to IPCC meetings and
nominate contributors and reviewers for its reports.
» Framework Convention on Climate Change (2021), which
enables APA to participate in Conference of the Parties
(COP) meetings. An APA representative attended COP26
as part of a Global Psychology Alliance group.
• In 019 P cohosed he Inernaional Summi on Pscholo
and lobal Healh in isbon Porual a hich represena-
ies o 44 naional and inernaional pscholoical associa-
ions commied o ae acion on climae chane. he lobal
Pscholo lliance an onoin coaliion o pscholoical
associaions emered rom his summi.
• P conduced a sure o U.S. aduls in December 019 in
hich 6 o respondens said ha climae chane is he
mos imporan issue acin socie oda and 60 said he
hae chaned heir behaior o reduce heir conribuion o
climae chane.
• In 019 and 00 P paricipaed in he annual arm id
esial in sessions ha addressed sress subsance abuse
and mood disorders in armin communiies ha ace muliple
sressors includin climae chane.
• In ebruar 00 he P Council o epresenaies passed a
resoluion Ps esponse o he lobal Climae Chane Crisis
reairmin Ps commimen o acion o address lobal cli-
mae chane boh on is on and in collaboraion ih oher
oraniaions in he U.S. and inernaionall. he resoluion also
auhoried esablishmen o he curren as orce.
• Ps adocac eors on climae chane epanded in 00–1:
» In March 2020, APA’s CEO and other staff met with the U.S.
House of Representatives’ Sustainable Energy and
Environment Coalition to discuss the APA survey (above)
and other climate change topics.
» In the summer of 2020, APA submitted letters describing
the mental health and behavioral dimensions of climate
change to the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on
Environment and Climate Change (of the Committee of
Energy and Commerce) and Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology.
» In 2021, APA submitted letters on the role of psychology in
addressing climate change to officials of the Biden adminis-
tration: National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Special
Presidential Envoy John F. Kerry, and Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan. It also
discussed directions for psychological research on climate
change in a response to a request for information from the
National Institutes of Health.
» Throughout 2021, APA participated with other professional
and scientific organizations in joint statements and meet-
ings directed to members of Congress, Biden administration
officials, and attendees of COP26. These efforts addressed
climate policy issues related to health, migration, emissions
reduction, and research priorities.
• cross he 90 journals published b P 8 aricles includ-
in reies and ediorials ha addressed lobal armin or
climae chane ere published in he period 00–1. i-
nine o hese aricles ere published in he period 01–1.
o special issues o journals ocused on climae chane:
merican Pschologis Ma-June 011 hich as he repor
o he 008–09 as orce and raumaolog Sep. 00.
special issue on climae chane is planned or ranslaional
Issues in Pschological Science in 0.
• P Boos ill release Susainable Soluions: he Climae Crisis
and he Pscholog o Social cion b ober . Jones in 0.
lso Ps Mainaion Press hich publishes childrens
boos has issued o iles addressin climae chane: ll he
eelings Under he Sun: Ho o Deal ih Climae Change 01
b eslie Daenpor and ha o Do hen he Nes Scares
ou: ids uide o Undersanding Curren ens 01 b
Jacqueline B. oner.
• In he period 00–01 aricles in hich climae chane
as he primar opic ere published in Ps maaine
Monior on Pscholog. iheen o hese aricles ere pub-
lished in he period 01–1. he maaine appears in prin
and online on a monhl or bimonhl basis. I is sen o all
associaion members currenl more han 10000 and is
accessible online or ree o he public.
48MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS
CREDITS
Photos sourced from Climate Visuals project (www.climatevisuals.org)
Cover: (UP CTR), Aji Styawan / Getty Images Climate Visuals Grant recipient; (LO CTR),
Ollivier Girard’ / CIFOR; 14, (TOP), Aji Styawan / Getty Images Climate Visuals Grant
recipient; 19, Ryan Brown / UN Women.
MICN PSCHOOIC SSOCIIONDDSSIN H CIM CISIS: N CION PN O PSCHOOISS49
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