Catastrophe Apathy: Why understanding the climate crisis isn’t enough

About this episode

The episode explores the gap between climate concern and action, delving into the psychology behind catastrophe apathy with expert Lorraine Whitmarsh.

Climate concern is not the problem. Most people have it. What's missing is everything that turns concern into action - and understanding that gap turns out to be a lot more complicated than it looks. This week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson sit down with Lorraine Whitmarsh , Professor of Environmental Psychology and Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations at the University of Bath.  Together they dig into the psychology behind catastrophe apathy: why understanding an existential threat doesn't always lead to action, and what the research says actually moves people. Lorraine shares real-world evidence - including renewable energy tariffs that shifted 90% of customers onto green power simply by making it the default - and explains why trusted everyday messengers, from hairdressers to taxi drivers, employers to community figures, often have more influence than expert voices in reshaping what feels normal. The conversation also revisits an uncomfortable history: how the personal carbon footprint, popularised by BP in the early 2000s, reframed climate responsibility around individual choices rather than systemic change. A…

People in this episode

Hosts: Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson

Guest: Lorraine Whitmarsh

Topics covered

• climate crisis
• catastrophe apathy
• psychology of action
• systemic change
• renewable energy
• public consent
• individual responsibility

Keywords

• climate action
• catastrophe apathy
• environmental psychology
• renewable energy tariffs
• public behavior change
• carbon footprint
• systemic change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Bath, BP

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