About
The Climate Truth
This website about the climate crisis is different
- I won’t list the terrible things that are happening from the burning of fossil fuels.
- Nor will I describe how much worse it will be if we don’t act quickly.
- I won’t explain why global warming is real and not a hoax.
If you are reading this, I’ll assume that you know all of that. But if, like me, you are frustrated by the lack of meaningful action, this is a website about what can be done.
Joe Silverman
I find myself awake, early and often, feeling anxious about the climate crisis. I know that I am in good company in this regard; however, I also know that the company I keep is not what it should be. If more Americans were concerned to a degree commensurate with the risks, we wouldn’t have a President who is doing everything in his power to exacerbate the problem and a Congress unwilling to protect us from the dangers of a warming planet. The public needs to be informed, motivated and engaged if we hope to mitigate the most severe impacts of this planetary crisis.
I am a psychologist in western Massachusetts
In my clinical practice, I’ve learned to connect and communicate with people having backgrounds, values and beliefs different from mine. My therapeutic orientation is cognitive-behavioral and, as such, my work focused on helping clients change their thinking and behaviors about problem areas. This is also a pretty good description of the goals of communication about the climate crisis.
A number of psychologists in academic settings have done good research on the psychology of climate change communication. This website is applying those findings to change the hearts and minds of Americans about this planetary crisis.
Clients usually come to counseling when they are in crisis. It is the job of the therapist to help them see the crisis as an opportunity for change and, as difficult as the crisis is to bear, that those changes will eventually improve their lives. Similarly, the messaging about the climate crisis is that the planet is in crisis and change is necessary but, if it happens quickly enough, the outcome will be a world that is healthier, safer, and in many ways better.
