Human dimensions are crucial in understanding climate change processes and in developing adaptation and mitigation measures. This talk will explore the contribution of psychological approaches to climate solutions, focusing on perceptions and behavior change. Dr. Pahl will discuss why the human mind has difficulty understanding big challenges such as climate change, with a focus on the role of psychological distance. She will then provide research results on future scenario and thermographic image visualization behavioural studies. The results offer insight into how we can overcome the psychological distance to viable climate solutions.

Dr. Sabine Pahl has been a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Plymouth since 2006. She joins UBC as a Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) Visiting Scholar for March 2011. Dr. Pahl (Dipl.-Psych. Bremen, D; MSc Kent, UK; PhD Sheffield, UK) has applied her social psychology background to various projects in the areas of environment and health. Her research has attracted funding from ESRC/NERC, the Technology Strategy Board, the Seale-Hayne Trust and the University of Plymouth. Sabine has convened symposia on the Psychology of Sustainability for the British Psychological Society and the International Association for People-Environment Studies. Current research examines the impact of human activities in natural marine environments on human and habitat well-being, the use of thermographic images as prompts for energy saving behaviour, and the role of optimistic / pessimistic future outlooks in motivating environmental action. She is part of the Changing Risky Behaviours (CRiB) group in Plymouth and affiliated with the Peninsula Medical School’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health.