In the first two parts of this four-part series examining the left-wing activists and wealthy organisations pushing the climate change agenda, which you can read here and here, I focused on the Climate Emergency Fund, which donates to Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. Today I examine a group using their expertise in the field of psychology to nudge the population into believing their world view of climate-induced doom.
THERE is an organisation called the Climate Psychology Alliance. Again, they wish to use their expertise in the field of psychology to nudge people into believing in their world view of climate-induced, impending doom.
Their website states: ‘It is now widely accepted that facts and information about the risk of climate change, taken, alone, do not promote change. There is a growing acceptance that the climate change movement could be enriched by incorporating deeper psychological perspectives. But mainstream positivist psychology is often part of the problem, especially when it reduces the human being to an object to be measured, controlled and then harnessed to the profit-making machine that now threatens our collective future.’
This group is overtly stating that ‘facts’ aren’t really persuading people that the climate crisis is real and that they need use psychology to pressure us all to become true believers. Most telling though, is when they say it can’t be ‘positivist’ psychology, which is based on empirical evidence, but a deeper type of psychology is to be used. In other words, ignore the facts of the situation and use mind manipulation techniques and fear to convert the non-believers.
They even say that climate anxiety is a good thing. ‘So, deep down, climate anxiety is a good thing because it is needed to awaken people. But strong anxiety is not pleasant, and if there is not enough climate action and psychosocial support, many forms of climate anxiety become problematic and there will also be much climate depression.’
Therefore it is beneficial to cause members of the public great distress by telling them the world is about to end, just so long as there are enough psychologists (who traumatised them in the first place) to help them cope by getting them involved in climate action where they too can traumatise others and keep the chain going. What an ingenious way to help destroy people’s lives whilst making lots of money in the process.
To reinforce this destructive idea that ‘climate grief’ is a good thing and then to use this idea to manipulate the minds of those suffering from it, they say: ‘Climate anxiety and climate grief usually co-exist, and it is elementary to see that both are fundamentally healthy phenomena . . . Because of the interconnections between climate anxiety and climate grief, methods of encountering climate grief also help to channel climate anxiety constructively. Indeed, many current forms of climate action integrate elements of “grief work” into public activism.’
It is not just individuals these groups want to target, but corporations as well. An organisation called Climate Psychologists offers consultancy courses to companies. They state: ‘Now more than ever companies need to remain agile as they transition towards sustainability. Our climate psychologists deliver workshops, coaching, psychological support and behavioural change programmes to foster containment and responsiveness in uncertain times . . . Discover the power of “Ethical Nudges” to deliver positive effects for your team, and your company – in the office and in the world.’
Notice that they aren’t just offering support to employees traumatised by the ‘climate crisis’, but are using behavioural change programmes and ethical nudging. They are telling employers how to subtly manipulate the minds of their employees to believe in the climate emergency. This is very reminiscent of the government’s SPI-B behavioural insights team that used psychology to terrify people into accepting Covid lockdowns.
