APS resources

APS resources

• APS Tip Sheet: Coping with climate change: What you can do
  
• APS Tip Sheet: Talking with children about the environment
  
• APS Position Statement: Psychology and climate change
  
• APS Position Statement: Psychology and the natural environment
• Summary: Climate change and other environmental problems (37kb)
• How psychology can help (37kb)

InPsych

• Communicating climate change to the Australian public (InPsych June 2012)
• The hopeful space between denial and despair: 3 psychology professors discuss climate change. (InPsych December 2012). 
• Psychologists’ survey demonstrates Australians climate change concern (InPsych, August 2011)
• Understanding the psychological barriers to climate change action (InPsych, December 2010)
• International environmental psychologists share their insights (InPsych, October 2011)
• Climates of change (InPsych, February 2009)
• The environment features strongly at the APS conference  (InPsych December 2008)
• Conflict and the environment (InPsych, December 2008)
• Challenging assumptions in the psychology of climate change (InPsych, August 2008)
• Lessons learned in developing Our Water Our Future Behaviour Change Framework (InPsych, August 2008)
• APS responds to the climate change challenge (InPsych August 2008)
• Managing the impact of climate change in rural communities (InPsych, August 2008)
• Environmental psychology: An endangered species? (InPsych, August 2008)
• The keys to successful behaviour change (InPsych, December 2006)

Also see InPsych: Saving the Planet

• June 2008
• April 2008 
• February 2008
• December 2007 
• October 2007  
• August 2007
• June 2007
• April 2007
• February 2007
  
• December 2006
• October 2006

Advocacy

The APS, through its membership of the Climate and Health Alliance, participates in a range of advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the health and mental health risks of climate change and the health benefits of emissions reductions.

The Climate and Health Alliance, on behalf of its member organisations, has signed the following Public Statements on climate and health issues.  Individuals and other organisations are welcome to add their signatures to these statements.

• Statement of Commitment on Climate Change to protect the children of today and tomorrow from dangerous climate change.
  The Climate and Health Alliance and Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth are supporting a campaign to encourage all Australians to speak up in defence of children to protect them from dangerous climate change.

• Doha Declaration calling for health to be central to national and global climate action.
  The international health and medical community have developed a joint statement outlining why health experts are extremely worried about slow progress on climate action, and highlights how the health co-benefits of emissions can build support for ambitious climate strategies.

• Joint Statement on the health effects of Australia’s minerals and energy policy
  “The risks to human health from energy and resources policy are not being accounted for in current policy decisions. "Significant policy reform is needed to ensure health and wellbeing is not compromised by policy decisions in other sectors. Recognising the importance of the social and environmental determinants of health is an important part of that”.

Links

• APS Psychology and the Environment Interest Group
  The APS Psychology and the Environment Interest Group represents the strong interest of psychologists in relation to the greening of our profession and the profiling of some of the diverse involvements which psychologists have with ‘the environment’, including the urgency of issues such as climate change, habitat loss, water scarcity, and environmental degradation.
  
• Earth Beat: Kids and climate change
  Radio interview with APS psychologist Susie Burke on what message children are getting about climate change and how it affects them
• A Climate of Suffering: the real costs of living with inaction on climate change
  Mental health and community wellbeing in the wake of extreme weather  
• The Climate and Health Alliance
  The Climate and Health Alliance was formed in August 2010 and is a coalition of organisations and individuals from a broad cross section of the sector, including health care professionals, health care service providers, institutions, academics, researchers, and health care consumers.
• Psychologists for a Safe Climate  
  Contributing psychological understanding within the community to support and facilitate strong and urgent action on climate change.

Media

• Psychologists call for behaviour change to reduce climate change
  August 2010 media release issued by the Australian Psychological Society.
• Health Professionals Back Climate Commission Report’s Health Findings 
  Health professionals and public health bodies hold serious concerns regarding the impact of climate change on the public’s health. Further, they are deeply concerned that few Australians are aware of the risks of climate change for their health or the health of their family and community.
• Health Leaders Call for Urgent Action on Climate Change
  Declaration on Climate and Health. Durban South Africa, 2011
  Call to Action on Climate and Health. Durban South Africa, 2011 
  Some of the world’s most prominent health organisations, including global doctors, nurses, medical students and public health federations, the World Health Organization, and others partnered to organize the First Global Climate and Health Summit, which took place in Durban, South Africa in December, 2011. A Declaration on Climate and Health and a Call to Action on Climate and Health have been issued by the conference attendees.

APS Submissions

• APS feedback to McKeon Review about Consultation Paper Recommendations  ‘National Review of health and medical research’ – October 2012
• APS Feedback to Productivity Commission’s Draft Report on Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation – September 2012
• Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) submission to the National Food Plan Green Paper - September 2012
  (APS contributed to this submission, and is a member organisation, of CAHA)
• APS Submission to the Australian Dietary Guidelines Consultation National Health and Medical Research Council – March 2012
• APS Submission to the Inquiry into Regulatory and Policy Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation Productivity Commission – December 2011
• APS Submission to House of Representatives Inquiry into Australia's Biodiversity in a Changing Climate - August 2011
• APS Feedback on NCCARF Human Health National Action Research Plan (NARP) – February 2011
• APS Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms - February 2011
• APS Submission to the Strategic Review of Climate Change Programs Department of Finance and Deregulation – May 2008