Floating Ideas Lecture Series

Doors Open 6:30pm, Lecture 7:00pm

Regular admission applies, free for members and annual pass holders

The Dragons of Inaction: What Are They and How to Slay Them

Most people are now aware climate change is happening and is a huge concern. Hundreds of jurisdictions have declared this an emergency. Nevertheless, the majority of people are not yet taking enough action to change the dangerous trajectory we are all on. Why not? This presentation highlights the Dragons of Inaction; these dragons are a compendium of psychological barriers that hinder a person’s desired actions. To date, they have mainly been gathered to help explain why a person agrees climate change and environmental sustainability are important problems, yet does not take enough action to effectively deal with those problems. However, the dragons can also help explain why people have difficulty moving from intention to action. How to overcome these dragons will be discussed.

Robert Gifford is an environmental psychologist who is Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the International Association of Applied Psychology, is the recipient of a Career Award from the Environmental Design Research Association, and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Professor Gifford is the author of 140 refereed publications and book chapters and five editions of Environmental Psychology: Principles and practice. His 2016 book (as editor) is Research methods for environmental psychology. He was the Chief Editor of the Journal of Environmental Psychology for 14 years, and has served as President of the Environmental Psychology division of the International Association of Applied Psychology, APA’s Population and Environment Division, and CPA’s environmental section. He also tries to grow roses and vegetables at his rocky hillside home, but the deer and raccoons think he is growing them for their benefit.