Climate Change: The Roles of Developmental Science

• In Event: 3-045 - The International Consortium of Developmental Science Societies: contributions on trauma, refugee youth, and climate change.

Integrative Statement

Climate change has been described as greatest health challenge of the 21st century, with serious impacts on psychological well-being. Given its potential to increase inequality and greatly reduce the liveability of the planet, it is also described as the greatest social and moral crisis of our time.
Climate “tipping points” are being reached and surpassed faster than predicted. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like droughts, floods and wildfires have already increased, along with increasing temperatures and melting icecaps. While serious climate change is already locked in, without very speedy global action we will see changes of catastrophic proportions.
Climate change will affect us all, but those most vulnerable to its impacts will be children in the developing world. Climate change is the focus of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 (‘Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts’), but will also compromise efforts to achieve many others including poverty (SDG 1), hunger (2), good health and wellbeing (3), education (4), clean water and sanitation (6), and inequality (10).
Mitigation of climate change is particularly the responsibility of developed countries which emit most CO2, but stronger popular support is needed to persuade governments to enact the necessary wide-ranging and speedy changes. Psychology provides insights into the processes of denial and avoidance which underlie inaction on climate change but can also help identify ways to stimulate effective political action. In the majority world, policies and programs to help communities, families and children adapt and cope with the inevitable impacts of climate change are an urgent priority. Further, as the world shifts to a low-carbon economy, young people in both the developed and majority worlds will need to adapt to major changes in lifestyles. Models of positive development and global competencies could be applied to help build capacities of youth to respond effectively as individuals, community members and citizens.
Primatologist Jane Goodall has modified the proverb “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” to “… we are stealing it from our children”. As experts in human development who have concern about the wellbeing of future generations, developmental scientists have important roles in addressing climate change. These roles encompass research, program development and implementation, education and advocacy. An ICDSS working group is developing a call to action that will encompass all these roles, and include a research agenda for increasing the understanding of children and communities about climate change, and building capacity for active engagement in mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

Author

• Ann Sanson, University of Melbourne
  Presenting Author