Psychologists from more than 40 countries have pledged to apply psychological science to combat global climate change.
Ms Frances Mirabelli, CEO of the Australian Psychological Society, was among the leaders of 43 psychological associations who attended the first International Summit on Psychology’s Contributions to Global Health in Lisbon last week.
The participants issued a proclamation on collaboration, committing to use their professional, scientific, educational, cultural and applied resources “to achieve progress on matters of utmost importance for which psychology offers the greatest contribution.” Their initial efforts will focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take action to combat climate change and its impacts.
They also signed a referendum citing the “overwhelming agreement among climate scientists that climate change poses a serious global threat, is occurring faster than previously anticipated and is contributed to by human behavior.”
“It was an honor to represent the APS and Australian psychology at this historic summit,” said Ms Mirabelli. “As the science of behavior, psychology has much to say about what people can do to help prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change and how to develop strategies to cope. We pledged to encourage leaders in government, academia, health and business to use more psychological science in designing policies to promote sustainable preventive and corrective behaviors.”
The APS has long been active in calling for action on climate change. It used last week’s national Psychology Week to call on Australia’s governments to declare a climate emergency and take urgent action to protect the environment for current and future generations. The full report and a range of resources are available at www.psychweek.org.au
The President of Portugal, Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, addressed the summit, praising the psychologists for taking on the challenge of global climate change. “You chose the right subject because it’s a global subject,” he said. “We must have a global response to it. There is not a single country, not even a superpower that can address alone this issue.”
During the Summit, which took place between November 14 and 16, participants developed plans for advocacy, media campaigns and research to meet the goals laid out in the proclamation and resolution. They agreed to continue to work together to put these plans into action in their respective countries.
The Summit was co-presented by the American Psychological Association and the Order of Portuguese Psychologists.
For more information, visit www.psychologyandglobalhealth.org
For more information, or to arrange an interview call the APS Media team on 03 8662 3358 / 0435 896 444, or email. Find the APS Media team on Twitter: @AustPsych
The APS is the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 27,000 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to people’s lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.