Global Warming Contradicts Just World Beliefs

A study from the Psychology Department of the University of California, Berkley, offers one possible explanation for how belief in global warming is heading in the opposite direction of the mounting evidence.

The study suggests that messages about dire consequences of global warming threaten the deeply held belief that the world is just and orderly so people dismiss the science.

The lesson - use less dire messages or messages coupled with a potential solution. This approach avoids the inadvertent backlash that increases scepticism.

Read the full study:  "Apocalypse Soon? Dire Messages Reduce Belief in Global Warming By Contradicting Just World Beliefs"

By: Matthew Feinberg & Robb Willer

Abstract: 

Though scientific evidence for the existence of global warming continues to mount, in the

U.S. and other countries belief in global warming has stagnated or even decreased in

recent years. One possible explanation for this pattern is that information about the

potentially dire consequences of global warming threatens deeply held beliefs that the

world is just, orderly, and stable. Individuals overcome this threat by denying or

discounting the existence of global warming, ultimately resulting in decreased

willingness to counteract climate change. Two experiments provide support for this

explanation of the dynamics of belief in global warming, suggesting that less dire

messaging could be more effective for promoting public understanding of climate change

research.