Do we feel less concerned about a natural disaster when it happens far from home? And does this psychological distance also apply to the climate crisis? A recent meta-analysis by a team of researchers in the Netherlands suggests that this may not be the case. Studies have even shown that, on the contrary, climate events that occur far away do not necessarily lead to less engagement of citizens in climate issues. Are we less psychologically affected by a war or natural disaster if it takes place far away from the country in which we live? Well known to psychologists, this theory refers to the concept of psychological distance. For years, studies have described the human brain's ability to put events in the background, often to protect itself from emotions such as stress or anxiety. Does this concept also apply to the climate crisis? To find out, Dr. Anne M. van Valkengoed, a researcher at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), examined a large number of public opinion polls. The results of her work have now been published in the journal One Earth. Among the studies reviewed, two conducted in 2019 and 2021 surveyed more than 100,000 respondents in 121 countries and territories. According to these surveys, 41 percent of respondents believe that climate change is a very serious threat to their home country. "Even in countries thought to have many climate skeptics, most people see climate change as a risk to their home country," the study says, citing the example of the United States, where more than 60 percent of respondents believe climate change will will harm the American population. Contradictory findings: Some of the studies included in this analysis suggest that the more people view climate change through the lens of psychological distance, the less likely they are to engage in climate-friendly behaviors or support climate change policies. However, this is not the case for all, but on the contrary, other researches do not find any significant relationship between the perception of psychological distance and the effect of climate. Some research has even shown that seeing climate change as affecting distant cities and communities actually encourages people to take further action. Furthermore, 25 out of 30 studies did not show that experimentally decreasing psychological distance increased participants' environmental engagement. "Decreasing psychological distance is considered an effective strategy to increase climate action. Nevertheless, the idea of psychological distance as a barrier to climate action has also been criticized. At present, it remains unclear to what extent psychological distance hinders climate action," the study said. (AM MYT, MalayMail)