A recent meta-analysis conducted by a team of researchers in the Netherlands suggests that climate events that occur far away do not necessarily lead to less citizen engagement on climate issues
Do we feel less concerned by a natural disaster when it occurs far from home? And does this psychological distance apply to the climate crisis? A recent meta-analysis conducted by a team of researchers in the Netherlands suggests that this might not be the case. Studies have even shown that, on the contrary, climate events that occur far away do not necessarily lead to less citizen engagement on climate issues.
Are we less affected psychologically by a war or a natural disaster if it takes place far from the country in which we live? Well known to psychologists, this theory refers to the concept of psychological distance. Studied for years, it describes the capacity of the human brain to put events at a distance, often to protect itself from emotions such as stress or anxiety. So does this concept apply to the climate crisis? To find out, Dr. Anne M. van Valkengoed, a researcher at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), reviewed a large number of opinion polls. The results of her work have now been published in the journal, One Earth.