What is the emotional experience of Scotland’s Citizen’s Assembly members as they learn about climate change? How does that compare with the general population?
These are two of the questions that CPA Scotland member, Nadine Andrews, explores in her recent paper.
“In facing up to the reality of the climate crisis and the risks it poses, people encounter powerful emotions that can be difficult to bear, Nadine writes. “Consequently, various defences and coping strategies may be used to suppress or avoid feeling these emotions. The way in which emotions are regulated has important implications for wellbeing and decision-making. In recent years there has been growing interest in using citizens' assemblies to inform government climate policy. Assembly members learn about and discuss the subject, and produce recommendations for action. Given this element of learning about climate change, it is likely that difficult emotions will come up for assembly members.”
As there is no published literature on this specific topic to date, this paper presents original research that can support organisers of future climate assemblies or other deliberative processes as well as be of practical use to policy makers and the therapeutic community.