Dreading a dark winter lockdown? Think like a Norwegian

Shorter days and dark afternoons can trigger depression. Here's how to fight back

People prone to seasonal depression are bracing themselves as winter approaches

Welcome to the American Winter

In the frozen streets of Minneapolis, something profound is happening.

Climate change and conflict: The vicious cycles undermining climate action, and what can be done to break them

Abstract In this review, we synthesize evidence to argue that climate change and conflict are mutually reinforcing. We first examine conflict as a barrier to mitigation, focusing on four faultlines that slow climate action: (a) ideological polarization, (b) “elite versus ordinary people” narratives, (c) intranational, place‐based conflicts, and (d) international disputes. The consequence of these conflicts is worsening climate change, which in turn increases the prevalence of factors known to be conflict amplifiers: heat stress, economic stress, widening inequality, and forced displacement. Our analysis points to the potential for recursive “climate–conflict loops”, fuelled in part by erosion of institutional trust, shrinking moral circles, political polarization, and de‐prioritization of long‐term climate goals. In a spirit of optimism, however, we identify three buffers capable of breaking these vicious cycles: maintenance of procedural and distributive justice, enhancing information integrity, and scaffolding institutional cooperation. We conclude by proposing a research agenda that integrates psychological mechanisms into dynamic, multi‐level accounts of how climate impacts and political conflict coevolve.

Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say

Making concerned people aware their views are far from alone could unlock the change so urgently needed

Is the dark really making me sad?

I ask if she’s a winter person: “No, I am not,” she replies stiffly. “I like the Sun.”...

Everything is about to “go dark”

I’m coming down from spending a few days at Usenix Security, right here in my hometown of Baltimore. This means that my days have been taken up with two kinds of conversation: first, explaini…

Climate Change is coming for Christmas

Stunted trees, pricey chocolate, threatened reindeer, scant snow—warming is taking a toll.

Snoworld

Society frozen and analysed

What if We Stopped Pretending the Climate Apocalypse Can Be Stopped?

The climate apocalypse is coming. To prepare for it, we need to admit that we can’t prevent it.

How to Fall Asleep in 2 Minutes or Less | The Art of Manliness

With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve decided to republish a classic piece each Friday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. This article was originally published in March 2018. Have you ever unexpectedly found yourself with a snatch of time in which to steal a […]

A silent majority of the world’s people wants stronger climate action. It’s time to wake up | Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope

About 89% of the public want their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis – but don’t know they’re the majority

How to Weather the Storm

Without really meaning to, this week I’ve posted a few related articles around the theme of how to survive the next four years of the new oligarchical, authorit

Humans need to become smarter thinkers to beat climate denial | Dana Nuccitelli

Dana Nuccitelli: A new paper shows that climate myths consistently fail critical thinking tests

‘Overwhelming and terrifying’: the rise of climate anxiety

Experts concerned young people’s mental health particularly hit by reality of the climate crisis

The Climate Movement Isn’t in Retreat, It’s Under Attack…and It’s Time to Fight Back | Newsletter

In 2020, a source shared a presentation with me from an internal branding workshop they’d been asked to attend for bp. It was fascinating for a number of reasons, not least because it indicated that the oil major felt genuinely threatened by a surprising new enemy: young people. There have always been ebbs and flows […]