The idea that climate change is perceived as “psychologically remote” – happening in the future, in distant places, to other people or animals – has long been presented as a major obstacle to the fight against climate change.

A quick internet search for “climate change images” will easily yield the familiar photo of a lone polar bear on a shrinking block of ice. Despite the fact that these images signify an impending crisis, such images make climate change seem abstract – taking place far away (to most of us), to animals we have probably never met. The idea that climate change is perceived as “psychologically distant” – occurring in the future, in distant places, to other people or animals – has long been presented as a major obstacle to the fight against climate change. Despite the intuitive appeal of this idea, new research, published today by behavioral scientists from the University of Groningen in the journal One Earth, argues that the psychological distance of climate change has been overestimated – according to their results, most people consider climate change to be “psychologically close.” Researchers systematically examined the available evidence to see how prevalent psychological distance to climate change really is – and whether it can hinder climate action. First, they analysed data from 27 public opinion polls from around the world – including China, the US, the UK, Australia and the EU – and found that most people perceive climate change as happening now and in the near future.   (The Conversation)