In February 2020, the American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Representatives authorized a Task Force on Climate Change. A team of 12 individuals was selected from applications solicited around the World in various disciplines and specialties. ECP’s CEO, Sarah Sutton represents the cultural sector on the Task Force. The Task Force is reviewing APA’s past and current work on global climate change, recommending goals and strategies for future initiatives, and assessing and making recommendations regarding APA’s own energy use and sustainability practices.
In February 2022, the APA released its report Addressing the Climate Crisis: An Action Plan for Psychologists. The report includes 12 recommendations, six focus on strengthening the psychology field and six for broadening psychology’s impact. Psychology Today states that “calls to rethink, reinvent, and redesign the way we function as a society in the face of climate change are becoming more urgent”. The Task Force is now focusing on implementing the 12 recommendations.
Links
- APA report: Addressing the Climate Crisis: An Action Plan for Psychologists
- APA report press release: Psychology skills, research needed to help stem climate change, February 28, 2022
- APA report article review: APA Report Draws Attention to Psychology of Climate Change by Ekua Hagan, March 23, 2022