This seminar is given by Leo Barasi, Author of The Climate Majority: Apathy and Action in an Age of Nationalism
The world is doing far too little to limit climate change. Carbon emissions set another record in 2018 and current targets put the world on course for dangerous warming. Even in the UK, where emissions have been falling, most of the easier cuts have been made – it will be increasingly hard to maintain progress over the coming decades.
Public opinion can make or break the world’s attempts to prevent dangerous warming. If politicians think the public are desperate for tough action, they’re more likely to set policies that will cut emissions. But if they believe the public to be apathetic, they will tend to avoid the hard decisions that could put them on the wrong side of public opinion.
So what do the public think about climate change and why do they think it? Looking at the psychological factors behind climate apathy, and how campaigners describe global warming, this talk will set out ways public opinion could be influenced to facilitate political action.
Speaker biography
Leo Barasi is an expert in public opinion, campaigns and climate change. He has worked with political candidates, charities, campaigns and businesses, to help them understand and shape public opinion, and is a regular writer and commentator on politics and climate change. His book, ‘The Climate Majority: Apathy and Action in an Age of Nationalism‘, is about how climate apathy could stop the world dealing with global warming, and what could generate action instead.
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