American Psychologist publishes special issue on global climate change

American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association (APA), has published a special issue on “Psychology and Global Climate Change.” The May-June 2011 issue contains seven peer-reviewed articles that are based upon and update the contents of a 2009 APA task force report. All eight of the task force members, who work in a variety of areas across psychology, contributed to the writing of the articles in the special issue.

The articles, each of which can be read independently, are:

• Psychology’s contributions to understanding and addressing global climate change
  By Janet K. Swim, Paul C. Stern, Thomas J. Doherty, Susan Clayton, Joseph P. Reser,  Elke U. Weber, Robert Gifford, & George S. Howard

• Human behavioral contributions to climate change: Psychological and contextual drivers
  By Janet K. Swim, Susan Clayton, & George S. Howard

• The psychological impacts of global climate change
  By Thomas J. Doherty & Susan Clayton

• Adapting to and coping with the threat and impacts of climate change
  By Joseph P. Reser & Janet K. Swim

• The dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation
  By Robert Gifford

• Contributions of psychology to limiting climate change
  By Paul C. Stern

• Public understanding of climate change in the United States
  By Elke U. Weber & Paul C. Stern

Janet Swim of Pennsylvania State University chaired the task force and helped manage preparation of the articles.  She commented, “I’m pleased and proud to see this special issue in print.  Our task force was able to bring together a diverse set of ideas and experiences to develop a resource that we hope advances psychologists’ involvement in the topic of global climate change and, more generally, environmental sustainability.”

The issue can be accessed through APA’s PsycNET website (at no cost for most APA members and those with institutional subscriptions).

You may read Thomas Doherty’s contribution below:

• The psychological impacts of global climate change
  By Thomas J. Doherty & Susan Clayton