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Teaching Material

Climate Psychology: The art of making excuses

Target GroupBachelor, Executive Education, Master, PhDResource TypeInfographicsDomainPsychological and Sociological AspectsDuration< 1hAuthorThomas Bruderman, Annechien Hoeben
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Summary

  • This resource can be used to help students visualize complex climate psychology concepts through professionally designed illustrations. Students will develop competencies in understanding psychological barriers to climate action, such as moral licensing and knowledge overconfidence. They will learn to critically analyze the relationship between perceived and actual impact of various climate-friendly behaviors, enhancing their ability to prioritize effective climate solutions.

Relevant SDGs

Icon für SDG 4Icon für SDG 11Icon für SDG 12

How to use

  • These illustrations work effectively as visual aids during lectures on environmental psychology, sustainability behavior, or climate communication. They can be incorporated into presentations to stimulate classroom discussions, included in assignments analyzing barriers to climate action, or used as prompts for reflection activities. The visuals are particularly valuable when introducing concepts of behavioral change difficulty versus climate impact.
  • Faculty should familiarize themselves with the research behind each illustration and prepare discussion questions that help students apply concepts to their own experience.
  • Related resources might include the book “Die Kunst der Ausrede” (The Art of Excuses), scholarly research on high-impact personal climate actions, or complementary materials on climate communication strategies. The Creative Commons license allows faculty to incorporate these visuals into their own course materials with proper attribution.

Teaching format tip

Infographics

Teach students to deconstruct visual arguments by identifying how design choices influence perception. Students should evaluate information hierarchy, data accuracy, and potential bias in representation. Use infographics as models for synthesizing complex information into accessible formats. Challenge students to verify sources and consider what information might be missing or oversimplified.

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  • Resources
    Subject area
    • General KnowledgeThis section provides general frameworks and concepts related to sustainability that can be used in any discipline and across industries.
    • Specific KnowledgeThis section provides sustainability related content that would enable students following a business or management degree or course to be better equipped to face sustainability related challenges.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    Competence area
    • Problem-solving
    • Critical thinking
    • Self-awareness
    • Collaboration
    • Normative awareness
    • Anticipatory thinking
    • Systems thinking
    • Strategy
    Learning approach
    • Cognitive learning
    • Socio-emotional learning
    • Behavioural learning
    • Subject area
      • General KnowledgeGeneral knowledge represents foundational understanding across multiple disciplines needed for sustainable development. It creates an integrated mindset that connects basic and advanced topics across various knowledge domains.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    • Skill area
      • Problem-solving
      • Critical thinking
      • Self-awareness
      • Collaboration
      • Normative awareness
      • Anticipatory thinking
      • Systems thinking
      • Strategy
    • Learning approach
      • Cognitive learning
      • Socio-emotional learning
      • Behavioural learning
  • Communities
  • Education for sustainability
  • About us
  • Resources
    Subject area
    • General KnowledgeThis section provides general frameworks and concepts related to sustainability that can be used in any discipline and across industries.
    • Specific KnowledgeThis section provides sustainability related content that would enable students following a business or management degree or course to be better equipped to face sustainability related challenges.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    Competence area
    • Problem-solving
    • Critical thinking
    • Self-awareness
    • Collaboration
    • Normative awareness
    • Anticipatory thinking
    • Systems thinking
    • Strategy
    Learning approach
    • Cognitive learning
    • Socio-emotional learning
    • Behavioural learning
    • Subject area
      • General KnowledgeGeneral knowledge represents foundational understanding across multiple disciplines needed for sustainable development. It creates an integrated mindset that connects basic and advanced topics across various knowledge domains.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    • Skill area
      • Problem-solving
      • Critical thinking
      • Self-awareness
      • Collaboration
      • Normative awareness
      • Anticipatory thinking
      • Systems thinking
      • Strategy
    • Learning approach
      • Cognitive learning
      • Socio-emotional learning
      • Behavioural learning
  • Communities
  • Education for sustainability
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