Perceptual psychology and climate action: three theoretical challenges

To what extent can basic research in perceptual psychology contribute to addressing the climate crisis? Accurate perception is necessary for knowing about climate change and for guiding a collective response. We identify three theoretical challenges for a climate-oriented perceptual psychology. (1) The knowledge problem: changes in the Earth’s climate are typically not directly perceivable, but are perceived via cognitive technologies such as scientific models, which introduce uncertainties. (2) The feedback problem: human action aimed at improving the Earth’s climate is necessary, but difficult to control, and potentially with unforeseeable side-effects. (3) The collective action problem: coordinating a response to climate breakdown is a collective challenge, demanding agreement on the epistemic basis of future action. These three challenges indicate the need for renewed theorizing about indirect knowledge and about action coordination and social decision-making under uncertainty. We end with some programmatic suggestions for future research.