Why So Little Reaction in Response to Climate Change?

Commenter Gina Rozier writes in my response to our lack of response to climate change:

It intrigues me what threats people react too and which ones they ignore. I remember reading a quote. Science says climate change is here. We must act now. People do nothing. Science then says Ebola is not a threat and people panic. Perhaps we acknowledge Ebola because we have no personal responsibility to act. Whereas with climate change everyone must accept some level of personal responsibility.

This is really profound, Gina, and it’s 100% correct.  My favorite theories include:

• We’re societally programmed to admire and emulate rich, powerful “winners,” and to disdain “losers.” Who’s a huge winner on this planet? Why, it’s the oil companies!  ExxonMobil made $16.2 billion in earning last year, and their CEO’s salary is over $40 million.  Not bad.  They must be doing things right.

• Many people (erroneously) believe that climate change mitigation is bad for jobs and the economy more generally. (Of course, this is part of the propaganda of climate change denial, a great deal of which comes from the folks named above.)

• Most people are essentially selfish, and thus reluctant to make any personal sacrifices for the common good.

• People generally have a high “discount rate,” meaning that we’re unwilling to deprive ourselves even modestly today in exchange for a large payoff later in time.  In that way, we’re like alcoholics and drug addicts: we just want to feel good right now, even though we know we’ll feel lousy later, and that we’re ruining our long-term health.

• People really hate change.  In fact, we’re genetically programmed that way; we’re descendants of the hunter-gatherers whose mentality was: if it worked last year, we’re doing it again this year.

Making substantive change in public perception won’t be a piece of cake.  But, miraculously, it’s seems to be happening more each year.

In any case, thanks for the marvelous comment.