THE INDIVIDUAL'S CLIMATE DENIAL:
SOCIETAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES
The layperson understands climate change through lens tinted by their personal values and beliefs, life experiences, emotions, and interpretation of scientific information which is often framed to further certain stakeholders' social, political and economical interests.
On top of that, the individual is vulnerable to cognitive biases.
Evidently, it is difficult for a layperson to be objective about climate change.
Some may choose to deny climate change or the climate consensus.
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In this section, you will find some answers to:
(1) What are some reasons causing the average person to deny climate change?
(2) What are the consequences of individuals' denial of climate change?
INFLUENCES OF INDIVIDUALS' CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL ON PUBLIC POLICY
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When many individual climate change deniers come together, they form a collective opinion
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Public opinion may not dictate what policies can be approved, but they can establish limits
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If policies go past the limits of what the public can accept, individuals can lose trust and support in the government
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The government seeks to maintain or increase its level of public support
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It is thus not in the interest of the government to pass policies that significant portions of its people disagree with
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E.G. Evangelical Christians comprise up to 30% of the U.S. population​. Many in the community are hesitant to support pro-climate policies.
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Thus, this community has considerable influence over American policy-planning.​
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