Why Tackling Climate Change Is Easier Than It Seems

Climate change is certainly not a new issue, but it’s a polarizing one. Often, it seems like people either think it’s an urgent issue that must be tackled now, or they believe there’s no rush to take positive action and that the issue is not one that will affect their lives. As it turns out, there are aspects of the human brain that make it difficult for people to see climate change as a pressing matter.

Humans Got Primed to Think About the Present

One of the reasons why humans often don’t have a future-oriented mindset about climate change is that the earliest inhabitants of the planet only thought about their most immediate needs, like finding food and shelter. Since the majority of people in the developed world can still do that even as climate change becomes more of a problem, it’s hard for them to see why the matter is something that will affect their lives anytime soon.

On the other hand, if climate change was already making it more difficult than it once was to get the food they need to survive and maintain suitable shelter, humans would likely realize that the issue is not something that’ll happen “someday,” but that it’s going on in today’s world. In that example, perception is crucial.

Changing Minds Is Easier Than Changing Habits

Experts also say that people would rather change their minds about climate change than alter their habits because the former approach is the easiest of the two. In essence, humans don’t want to believe that their daily activities are directly contributing to rising temperatures on the planet and all the consequences caused by that upward shift. So, people would prefer to adopt the mindset that climate change is not an issue they need to care about right now than to learn different habits.

Some Activities That Help the Planet Don’t Require Substantial Effort

Another factor associated with climate change inaction is that if people do view it as a problem, they think it’s such a gigantic one that anything they do wouldn’t make enough of a difference to be worthwhile. In other words, they perceive that anything that would help make a dent in the climate change problem would require tremendous changes in their lives and therefore aren’t feasible.

However, one positive thing to always keep in mind is that people can fight against climate change in ways that don’t require them to live in ways that are so different that they may be uncomfortable. For example, households can switch to eco-friendly light bulbs and consciously remember to turn off the lights in the rooms they aren’t using. Or, they can start participating in a neighborhood recycling program.

Lifestyle choices that show a greater awareness of climate change also means being careful about certain purchases and making eco-friendly decisions when possible. According to one study, 76 percent of millennials want to drive an eco-friendly car and see that as a prime way they can help the environment. A household may realize that they can go green with a new car that gets excellent fuel economy or is a hybrid or fully electric model. Car loans make it even easier to pursue that route, allowing people to give monthly payments to afford the vehicles they want.

Getting engaged about climate change requires figuring out what an individual person or a family can do to make a difference in the fight. They should realize that doing something to help is probably better than doing nothing at all. Learning about the effects of climate change could help, too. Then, it might become apparent that even if the effects aren’t immediately noticeable where a person lives, they are still happening and can still be conquered.

Climate change is undoubtedly a tricky issue. But, it’s easier than some people think to start to care and take mindful actions in reducing the global warming problem. They can start today.