{"id":376671,"date":"2025-04-27T20:04:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=376671"},"modified":"2025-04-27T20:04:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:04:20","slug":"claim-climate-apathy-is-outpacing-the-climate-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=376671","title":{"rendered":"Claim: Climate Apathy is Outpacing the Climate Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026  we assumed that if the climate worsened enough, people would act, but instead, we\u2019re seeing the \u2018boiling frog\u2019 effect \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

People Better Understand Climate Change When Shown Stark, Binary Data<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers looked into ways to communicate the true impact of climate change and found a solution. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: April 25, 2025 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowing human-caused climate change requires decisive action, but the slow upward creep of global temperatures contributes to apathy among people who don\u2019t experience regular climate-driven disasters, psychologists say. In a new study from UCLA and Princeton,<\/a> researchers looked into ways to communicate the true impact of climate change and found a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are adjusting to worsening environmental conditions, like multiple fire seasons per year, disturbingly fast,\u201d said Dubey, senior author of the study. \u201cWhen we used the same temperature data for a location but presented it in a starker way, it broke through people\u2019s climate apathy. Unfortunately, compared to those who looked at a clearer presentation of the same information, those who only looked at gradual data perceived a 12% smaller climate impact and cared less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor years, we assumed that if the climate worsened enough, people would act, but instead, we\u2019re seeing the \u2018boiling frog\u2019 effect, where humans continuously reset their perception of \u2018normal\u2019 every few years,\u201d Dubey said. \u201cPeople are adjusting to worsening environmental conditions, like multiple fire seasons per year, disturbingly fast. My research examines how people are mentally adapting to the negative changes in our environment.\u201d

\u2026Read more:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.technologynetworks.com\/applied-sciences\/news\/people-better-understand-climate-change-when-shown-stark-binary-data-398948<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The abstract of the study;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Article
Published: 17 April 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binary climate data visuals amplify perceived impact of climate change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace Liu<\/a>, Jake C. Snell<\/a>, Thomas L. Griffiths<\/a> & Rachit Dubey<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature Human Behaviour<\/em><\/a> (2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For much of the global population, climate change appears as a slow, gradual shift in daily weather. This leads many to perceive its impacts as minor and results in apathy (the \u2018boiling frog\u2019 effect). How can we convey the urgency of the crisis when its impacts appear so subtle? Here, through a series of large-scale cognitive experiments (N<\/em>\u2009=\u2009799), we find that presenting people with binary climate data (for example, lake freeze history) significantly increases the perceived impact of climate change (Cohen\u2019s\u00a0d<\/em>\u2009=\u20090.40, 95% confidence interval 0.26\u20130.54) compared with continuous data (for example, mean temperature). Computational modelling and follow-up experiments (N<\/em>\u2009=\u2009398) suggest that\u00a0binary data enhance perceived impact by creating an \u2018illusion\u2019 of sudden shifts.<\/strong>\u00a0Crucially, our approach does not involve selective data presentation but rather compares different datasets that reflect equivalent trends in climate change over time.\u00a0These findings<\/strong>, robustly replicated across multiple experiments,\u00a0provide a cognitive basis for the \u2018boiling frog\u2019 effect and offer a psychologically grounded approach for policymakers and educators to improve climate change communication while maintaining scientific accuracy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41562-025-02183-9<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This would be hilarious if it wasn\u2019t so shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The obvious interpretation for climate apathy is the climate change people are experiencing is not a big deal compared to other issues they deal with in their daily lives, and is not disruptive enough make people care. That \u201capathy\u201d is ordinary people correctly concluding global warming is way down on their list of priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But instead of accepting climate change isn\u2019t a problem for the people they investigated, the scientists concluded they have to spice up the message, to make the data look more frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I disagree with the study assertion that the \u201cbinary\u201d approach maintains scientific accuracy. In my opinion the proposed approach to climate communication amounts to deliberate deception. Omitting the information that people are unconcerned and apathetic about the changes they experienced, because they occurred over a long period of time, and people comfortably adapted to changes, in my opinion is lying by omission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe future historians will look back on this kind of behaviour, this apparent normalisation and casual acceptance of misleading the public through in my opinion deceptive presentation of the facts and wonder how our scientists and societal institutions so profoundly lost touch with morality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2026 \u00a0we assumed that if the climate worsened enough, people would act, but instead, we\u2019re seeing the \u2018boiling frog\u2019 effect \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":376674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691834764,691834765,691818056,691819743,691834763],"class_list":{"0":"post-376671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-binary-data","9":"tag-climate-apathy","10":"tag-climate-change","11":"tag-climate-propaganda","12":"tag-ucla-and-princeton","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0-Climate-Apathy.jpg?fit=1331%2C832&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1zZl","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":385409,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=385409","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":0},"title":"Climate Propaganda Breakthrough? \u201c\u2026 binary data creates an illusion of sudden shifts \u2026\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Inducing a motivational sense of acute loss in the general public might just be a matter of messaging.","rel":"","context":"In \"binary climate data\"","block_context":{"text":"binary climate data","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=binary-climate-data"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-596.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-596.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-596.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-596.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":358480,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=358480","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":1},"title":"Let the Hate Flow: 13 Types of Climate Activist Anger","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/12\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201c\u2026 participants angry about other people\u2019s inaction and apathy had more symptoms of depression and anxiety. \u2026\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Australia\"","block_context":{"text":"Australia","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=australia"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Screenshot-2024-12-24-090454.png?fit=1200%2C607&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Screenshot-2024-12-24-090454.png?fit=1200%2C607&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Screenshot-2024-12-24-090454.png?fit=1200%2C607&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Screenshot-2024-12-24-090454.png?fit=1200%2C607&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Screenshot-2024-12-24-090454.png?fit=1200%2C607&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":417826,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=417826","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":2},"title":"Why Waste Money on a Climate Health Forecasting Tool, Yale, When Climate Related Health Issues Are Declining?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent post at Yale Climate Connections (YCC) titled \u201cClimate change is boosting health care costs\u201d discusses a new online forecasting tool that tells employers extreme weather is getting worse due to climate change and will impact health more and thus raise insurance costs in the future. This is false.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQO3dO3vt9IE0MDl_jD7q9PYtJniiyWItO-KVDzlMj-X1nphghTBPCNCI1Ygygax1Ec31aZGxStMceC_KSwbufJVBd31PAAeE9XrI0JdITZ0aZ0lrQVMZ6qDyd84yjdQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQO3dO3vt9IE0MDl_jD7q9PYtJniiyWItO-KVDzlMj-X1nphghTBPCNCI1Ygygax1Ec31aZGxStMceC_KSwbufJVBd31PAAeE9XrI0JdITZ0aZ0lrQVMZ6qDyd84yjdQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQO3dO3vt9IE0MDl_jD7q9PYtJniiyWItO-KVDzlMj-X1nphghTBPCNCI1Ygygax1Ec31aZGxStMceC_KSwbufJVBd31PAAeE9XrI0JdITZ0aZ0lrQVMZ6qDyd84yjdQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQO3dO3vt9IE0MDl_jD7q9PYtJniiyWItO-KVDzlMj-X1nphghTBPCNCI1Ygygax1Ec31aZGxStMceC_KSwbufJVBd31PAAeE9XrI0JdITZ0aZ0lrQVMZ6qDyd84yjdQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQO3dO3vt9IE0MDl_jD7q9PYtJniiyWItO-KVDzlMj-X1nphghTBPCNCI1Ygygax1Ec31aZGxStMceC_KSwbufJVBd31PAAeE9XrI0JdITZ0aZ0lrQVMZ6qDyd84yjdQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":230988,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=230988","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":3},"title":"Advice for Climate Worriers","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Those who promulgate the climate catastrophe narrative are more dangerous than climate\u00a0change","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00billboard.webp?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00billboard.webp?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00billboard.webp?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00billboard.webp?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00billboard.webp?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349210,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=349210","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":4},"title":"Climate Change Committee Tells UK Government that Pace of National Suicide Needs to Quicken \u2013 Part\u00a0Deux","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The UK needs to make huge cuts to its people\u2019s wellbeing this decade to keep its national suicide plan on track, the government\u2019s climate watchdog has said.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Change Committee (CCC)\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Change Committee (CCC)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change-committee-ccc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/61c6b0050897d6c6eeebf20aea5d3965.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/61c6b0050897d6c6eeebf20aea5d3965.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/61c6b0050897d6c6eeebf20aea5d3965.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/61c6b0050897d6c6eeebf20aea5d3965.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/61c6b0050897d6c6eeebf20aea5d3965.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":412170,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=412170","url_meta":{"origin":376671,"position":5},"title":"Pakistan\u2019s Deadly Floods Are Not Worsened by Climate Change, BBC","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/11\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The BBC posted an article, \u201cDevastation on repeat: How climate change is worsening Pakistan\u2019s deadly floods,\u201d which, as the title suggests, claims that recent monsoon flooding in Pakistan was worsened by climate change. 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Data don\u2019t indicate that monsoon floods are worse now than in the past, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"BBC\"","block_context":{"text":"BBC","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bbc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNouXktX283yc5Xjsu_KvMu-NnMpPao0GCYsCPdrpJ508ihMRGUehwe4Zw6BpAi8unEvlaNkXex7ENq5Vr2597fBPjuJuSpqHcxf-cInQ7QS1oqMGj96ctD4nsHZEU-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C616&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNouXktX283yc5Xjsu_KvMu-NnMpPao0GCYsCPdrpJ508ihMRGUehwe4Zw6BpAi8unEvlaNkXex7ENq5Vr2597fBPjuJuSpqHcxf-cInQ7QS1oqMGj96ctD4nsHZEU-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C616&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNouXktX283yc5Xjsu_KvMu-NnMpPao0GCYsCPdrpJ508ihMRGUehwe4Zw6BpAi8unEvlaNkXex7ENq5Vr2597fBPjuJuSpqHcxf-cInQ7QS1oqMGj96ctD4nsHZEU-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C616&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNouXktX283yc5Xjsu_KvMu-NnMpPao0GCYsCPdrpJ508ihMRGUehwe4Zw6BpAi8unEvlaNkXex7ENq5Vr2597fBPjuJuSpqHcxf-cInQ7QS1oqMGj96ctD4nsHZEU-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C616&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNouXktX283yc5Xjsu_KvMu-NnMpPao0GCYsCPdrpJ508ihMRGUehwe4Zw6BpAi8unEvlaNkXex7ENq5Vr2597fBPjuJuSpqHcxf-cInQ7QS1oqMGj96ctD4nsHZEU-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C616&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=376671"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376676,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376671\/revisions\/376676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/376674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=376671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=376671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=376671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}