Climate Change and Climate Justice – Reflecting on Psychology, Community Psychology, The Streetlight Effect*, Social Change and Questions of Scale” (*Not a Psychological Finding!)
Date: 25 September 2024
Time: 16h15
About the webinar: Back in 2018, before the pandemic, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) noted that “rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems” were needed, that were “unprecedented in terms of scale”. Globally, these changes are not happening fast enough and limiting global warming to 1.5°C seems to be beyond us as a planet.
Against the above backdrop, this webinar, will provide no easy answers, but does seek to explore, the climate and ecological emergencies, wider social challenges and climate justice. It will discuss what this means for psychology, community psychology, and the well-intentioned people (the speaker hopefully included) who are trying to make a positive difference.
Reflecting on some of his own, limited, climate related research, and his wider activities outside of the academy, Dr Miles Thompson will share some thinking and facilitate some wider discussion around our current challenges, and both the potential and possibly the potential shortcomings of mainstream psychology and community psychologies in addressing the enormity of the unfolding poly-crisis.
Dr Miles Thompson is an Associate Professor in Psychology at UWE Bristol in the UK. He leads a final year undergraduate module called “Psychology and Social Justice”. He is also the lead of UWE’s Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG).
Miles’ main research interests are in psychology and its relationship to social, global and environmental justice and change. For Miles, these interests are often approached through the lens of community, critical community and liberation psychologies.
Miles is a clinical psychologist by background, registered with the UK’s HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) and a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy (HEA). He worked full-time in the NHS at the Bath Centre for Pain Services from 2005 until 2011. Prior to working at UWE, he worked as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University. His PhD was awarded by Goldsmiths, University of London (2016). And his Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) by the University of Plymouth (2005).