Global climate change poses one of

Global climate change poses one of the greatest challenges
facing humanity in this century. This article, which introduces
the American Psychologist special issue on global
climate change, follows from the report of the American
Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface
Between Psychology and Global Climate Change. In this
article, we place psychological dimensions of climate
change within the broader context of human dimensions of
climate change by addressing (a) human causes of, consequences
of, and responses (adaptation and mitigation) to
climate change and (b) the links between these aspects of
climate change and cognitive, affective, motivational, interpersonal,
and organizational responses and processes.
Characteristics of psychology that cross content domains
and that make the field well suited for providing an understanding
of climate change and addressing its challenges
are highlighted. We also consider ethical imperatives for
psychologists’ involvement and provide suggestions for
ways to increase psychologists’ contribution to the science
of climate change.