Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Thanks for all the ongoing interest you take, and work you do, to create a safe planet. 

Thanks to Clare who is helping put together the newsletter.

Regards,

Susie Burke

Public Interest, Environment and Disaster Response

What causes someone to change their mind about climate change? 

Over the past several years there have been a number of reports from some of the people who have changed their minds about climate change. This post from Skeptical Science looks at some of these accounts with the goal of discovering what led these people to change their minds.

This project by Yale Climate Connections explored the strategies that good communicators use when trying to interact with people beyond their usual ideological sphere in an attempt to resolve differences.

The researchers examined a series of conversations and reported the following techniques: 

• Frame solutions to show immediate, tangible economic benefits
• Engage as a fallible, inquisitive human, not as an all-knowing scientist
• Acknowledge valid questions; give answers in plain English

Read more about the study here. 

David Suzuki's article talks about the broad benefits of reducing the working week. Beyond helping break the cycle of constant consumption and allowing people to focus on things that matter — like friends, family and time in nature — a shorter workweek would also reduce rush-hour traffic and gridlock, which contribute to pollution and climate change. It could help reduce stress and the health problems that come from modern work practices, such as sitting for long hours at computers. And it would give people more options for family care.

Rising temperatures are creating new global security risks.

Sherri Goodman is a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. She says that the struggle to meet basic needs can make people desperate and can breed religious and political extremism. But improving food and water security can help build and maintain social stability in places that struggle with conditions like drought and extreme heat. You can listen to the interview with Sherri Goodman here.

Bob Gifford has developed this great booklet about the field of Environmental Psychology, a field which grew rapidly "in response to the declining health of the natural environment and the need to design buildings that better reflect the needs of their users".

The booklet outlines the 50 year history of Environmental Psychology as an arm of psychology which "focuses on the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals and small groups in relation to their environment". It celebrates the hallmarks of the field, acknowledges many of the organisations and experts across the world championing this important work and lists those courses which feature elements of Environmental Psychology.

With a wealth of research on the science of climate change communication and a focus on practical tips and case studies, this Handbook serves as a valuable resource for IPCC authors - as well as the wider scientific community - to engage audiences with climate change. 

You can read more and access the handbook here.

This 2 minute video summarises the 6 key insight from the communications Handbook commissioned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change featured below.

Climate scientist Michael E. Mann and children’s book author Megan Herbert want kids (and maybe also adults) to learn that their voices can and must be heard. Read more about their new children's book here.

Check out CLimate Reality's "REASONS FOR HOPE" blog series here to find out why they're more hopeful than ever. 

 

A thought provoking seminar by three psychologists/environmentalists to help parents and parent educators to think about the impact of climate change on their children, cope with that knowledge themselves, whilst at the same time supporting their children to cope with it now and in the future.

Speakers:
Professor Ann Sanson - Psychologists for Peace, Darebin Climate Action Now
Dr Susie Burke - Australian Psychological Society, Central Vic Climate Action
Professor Emerita Judith Van Hoorn – University of the Pacific, U.S

• Where: Lecture Room, Level 9, Victoria University City Campus,300 Flinders St,Melb
• When: Tuesday 17th April, 6-7.30pm

Tuesday 17th - Wednesday 18th April 2018 - MCG, Melbourne

Every year people and communities across Australia experience emergencies and natural disasters, but not all members of communities are equally affected.

Many people from diverse, marginalised or underrepresented communities experience disasters differently, facing unique challenges that influence their ability to respond and recover.

The Diversity in Disaster conference will engage emergency management practitioners, policy-makers and community services leaders and volunteers with the latest research on disaster resilience.

At the heart of the Diversity in Disaster conference is the opportunity to commit to inclusive and effective emergency management by understanding the strengths and needs of people from a range of backgrounds.

Participants will leave the conference with the tools and approaches to better support diverse communities to prepare, recover, bounce back and thrive.

Read here the story of one mother's advocacy and how becoming a parent brought home the harsh reality of climate change. 

"Our children deserve a safe climate. They deserve to see the beauty of the natural world as we do today. They deserve to thrive and survive. They deserve better." - Marnie Cotton, mother.

A group of 13 young plaintiffs just filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington, saying its deprived them of their rights to a healthful and pleasant environment, and their rights to life, liberty, and property, by failing to take meaningful action on the climate crisis.

"I feel hopeful because of this lawsuit, like grass tips emerging from thawing snow. This is my state government's chance to rise up and take responsibility for their actions. This is also a chance for my government to use real science in the policy they create. This lawsuit gives the Washington state government a chance to take the lead and commit to the citizens it serves and the lives it must protect," - 17-year-old Plaintiff, Aji Piper. Read more here.