Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life [Paperback]

Kari Marie Norgaard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2011

Global warming is the most significant environmental issue of our time, yet public response in Western nations has been meager. Why have so few taken any action? In Living in Denial, sociologist Kari Norgaard searches for answers to this question, drawing on interviews and ethnographic data from her study of "Bygdaby," the fictional name of an actual rural community in western Norway, during the unusually warm winter of 2000-2001.

In 2000-2001 the first snowfall came to Bygdaby two months later than usual; ice fishing was impossible; and the ski industry had to invest substantially in artificial snow-making. Stories in local and national newspapers linked the warm winter explicitly to global warming. Yet residents did not write letters to the editor, pressure politicians, or cut down on use of fossil fuels. Norgaard attributes this lack of response to the phenomenon of socially organized denial, by which information about climate science is known in the abstract but disconnected from political, social, and private life, and sees this as emblematic of how citizens of industrialized countries are responding to global warming.

Norgaard finds that for the highly educated and politically savvy residents of Bygdaby, global warming was both common knowledge and unimaginable. Norgaard traces this denial through multiple levels, from emotions to cultural norms to political economy. Her report from Bygdaby, supplemented by comparisons throughout the book to the United States, tells a larger story behind our paralysis in the face of today's alarming predictions from climate scientists.

The hardcover edition does not include a dust jacket.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At a time when most climate denial scholarship focuses on an extreme right-wing fringe, Norgaard's strikingly original and fascinating research invites us to see the many ways in which we are all in denial about climate change, and the profound challenges it poses to our identities and cultures. A rare and important book with powerful insights on every page." -- Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine

"This is an extremely important intellectual contribution. Research on climate change and culture has been primarily focused on individual attitudinal change. This work brings a sociological perspective to our understanding of individual and collective responses to climate change information, and opens up a new research area. It also has important practical implications…This perspective calls for a much different approach to climate change communications, and defines a new agenda for this field." Robert Brulle, The New York Times "Dot Earth"

"Drawing on the way Norwegians deal with the reality of global warming, Kari Norgaard provides an incisive account of the way individuals' avoidance patterns reflect social norms of feeling, attending, and discourse. As such, this book is an important step in the development of our sociological understanding of denial." Eviatar Zerubavel , Board of Governors Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University, and author of Social Mindscapes: An Invitation to Cognitive Sociology and The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life

"Living in Denial is particularly interesting because of the ethnographic research methods employed, which are unusual in such a field as global climate change. We gain a rich understanding of how people react to information about climate change. This book shows why information-rich programs are inadequate to get the general populace to take action to address this most serious of issues." Randolph Haluza-DeLay , Department of Sociology, The King's University College, Edmonton; co-editor of Speaking for Ourselves: Environmental Justice in Canada

"Kari Norgaard has written a rigorous and insightful account about a subtle and profound social problem that confronts the mitigation of climate change--namely, the cognitive and social tools used to deny or ignore a problem even when the populace agrees it should be addressed. The population of Bygdaby holds a solid national image of itself as a humanitarian, egalitarian, nature-loving people who love their snow. Yet they fail to even think coherently about climate change. This startling mismatch makes the storyline of the book quite engaging, and it will undoubtedly be recognized for making an important contribution by explaining how this mismatch is socially produced." Peter Jacques , Department of Political Science, University of Central Florida

"One of the great unanswered questions in politics is, why is there not more mobilization about more issues? People see all sorts of things they dislike; why don't they do more to change them? 'Free riding' is hardly a sufficient answer. Kari Marie Norgaard provides a much better, ethnographic account by looking at a remote town in Norway, whose citizens work hard to deny the threat posed by global warming. One of the most surprising findings is the amount of emotion work they do to keep from facing up to climate change. Unfortunately for our future, but fortunately for the power of this book, 'Bygdaby' is the world we all inhabit." James M. Jasper , CUNY Graduate Center

"This is an original and extremely important intellectual contribution. The analysis of social responses to climate change information has primarily focused on individual values and beliefs. Norgaard's work moves beyond this individualistic focus and brings a social dimension to the analysis of climate denial. She demonstrates that climate denial is a social process in which collective actions are taken to restore a sense of equilibrium and social stability. This book advances our understanding of climate denial and lays the ground for new approaches to climate change communication." Robert J. Brulle , Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science, Drexel University

About the Author

Kari Marie Norgaard is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (March 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262515857
• ISBN-13: 978-0262515856
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars will use this book in my courses April 6, 2012

By college professor

Format:Paperback

Living in Denial is an excellent example of how effective ethnography can be in helping to understand society and begin fruitful dialogues. I will use this book in my course. The in-depth research will provide a rigorous model for my students who are learning about this type of methodology. Kari Norgaard has successfully demonstrated that she not only cares about the topic, but also that she has the utmost respect for the people who participated in this research. A fantastic study on a timely issue -- one in which students will connect with and lead to engaged discussion

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Our generation's challenge: The "Normality" of Climate Crisis August 4, 2012

By David Oaks

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life

This book has my absolutely highest recommendation on an urgent basis.

While this book clearly meets academic standards of scholarship, I found it very human: The author brings us into a small town in Norway that is prosperous and well-educated, and where iconic activities for Norway such as skiing and ice skating are becoming more difficult because of the climate crisis. We hear stories, and we get quotes.

Why does the local newspaper cover the odd weather, without including discussion about climate crisis?

Why in a town with so much citizen activism, is there so little local activism about one of the biggest threats ever caused and faced by humanity?

This book helps explain what is mistakenly called "normal" in our society. I say mistakenly, because what is generally called normal brought us into the 'climate crisis,' which along with other environmental devastation is our generation's biggest challenge. Why are so many who are fully aware of the climate crisis, and that it is human caused, staying silent and inactive? Why is there this numbness?

It turns out what is called 'normal' has a lot going on beneath the surface, like one of the enormous icebergs that is slowly melting before its time.

Ultimately, this is a compassionate book, because the author recognizes the '100 percent' nature of our all being both harmed by the climate crisis, and also having a role in contributing to this disaster as a society. But the author also goes further and calls for us all to hold one another accountable....

When one of the Norwegians interviewed in the book holds up a hand in front of his face and says his numbness comes from protecting himself a little bit... This becomes for me a visual symbol for the poignant denial we all face. This denial is not from ignorance. It is not from ignoring the disaster. The denial is coming from a deep-seated awareness of an unprecedented crisis.

This is my 36th year working as a human rights activist in the field of mental disability, so I am particularly interested in discussions about what is considered "normal." Along with the book Collapse by Jared Diamond, I consider this to be one of the most important explanations. Professor Norgaard (who won tenure after the publication of this book) presents a rational, analytical approach that recognizes the importance of gut-level emotion.

Simply for speaking about the clearly illustrated stories in her book, Professor Norgaard was targeted by a media personality who has a proven track record of denigrating women leaders with disdain and distortion. Some of this individual's listeners predictably turned to hate speech against Prof. Norgaard. She is one of the environmental heroes who some are seeking to silence, but thankfully she remains unbowed. The silver lining of this witch hunt, is that this controversy led to a front page headline in my local newspaper of Eugene, Oregon that brought this book to my attention. I had no idea Prof. Norgaard was at the University of Oregon.

Ironically, the media personality apparently thought this book was about him and others who bizarrely and sadly claim there is no human-caused climate crisis. However, this book is actually much more significant. This book is about 100 percent of all of us, including the majority of the population who understand and accept the sobering scientific evidence.

This book is about re-defining being human... Reading this compels us to all ask, "What can I do? What can we do?"

To the extent addressing the climate crisis needs the equivalent of a nonviolent D-Day, this book helps provide research on the terrain, the obstacles, the opportunities for the unprecedented astoundingly enormous response that is now undeniably required... that we may not do adequately... but that is undeniably required nonetheless.

I've already gotten several copies to give away, such as to my friend Patch Adams, the physician/clown who questions what is called normal, because of his support for Martin Luther King's vision of an "International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment." Clearly, this book is one of the handbooks for that IAACM. Get it, read it, get more copies, talk it up... And act on it.

When you read this book, you will not just enjoy learning about a small town's challenges, but you will be lighting a candle in a mysterious immense cave called 'normal'. Know you are not alone. We are all there with you. 100 percent of us.

David W. Oaks, Director, MindFreedom International Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ethnography about Climate Change Denial December 31, 2012

By Eleanor K. Sommer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you want a firsthand perspective on why people deny climate change, tag along with Norgaard on her six-month stay in a small Norwegian town to learn about the emotional, social, and political responses to a changing climate. This is based on her dissertation but quite readable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very important book April 6, 2012

By C. Shearer

Format:Hardcover

This is an excellent book - well-discussed and well-researched with lots of insight. It looks at a small town to examine how we all are in various forms of denial about climate change. It explores what are arguably some of the biggest barriers to acting on climate change: our own and often subconscious resistance, making it a very important topic. The book draws upon a wide variety of studies across different disciplines, but is well-written and accessible, and could be of great interest to people both inside and outside the classroom.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars more about apathy than denial July 2, 2012

By Applied Sociologist

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I considered this book for my class on deviance and social control and may yet assign it (in part because my program in the States has many visiting students from Norway). However, I was a bit disappointed. The Norwegians in her story don't seem to deny climate change, rather, they are paralyzed into inaction. The book would have been strengthened with more scientific evidence: while the year in her study was very warm, what about the years before and after? Data on snow fall, wetness of snowfall, warm days, days of precipitation would have added valuable support to her subjects perceptions about how once upon a time it was colder with more snow.

That said, her discussion on the social psychology of apathy is really quite good, and this would be a good book for a social psychology class. One of the applications for 'social control' is not in her book, but rather in the response to her book as can be seen in other reviews who dismiss it out of hand as 'rubbish' because it's about climate change.

The other flaw it has is that, being a dissertation, suffers from some repetitiveness and need for editing.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great interdiscplinary study of societial inaction on climate change April 8, 2012

By EEV

Format:Paperback

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore why our society is not dealing with the climate change at the level that science has made clear that we need to act. This book outlines Kari Norgaard's research in a small Norwegian town in 2000-2001 on what was keeping knowledgeable, concerned and socially active Norwegians from taking action on climate change. This is a great interdisciplinary study that Norgaard expertly situates within the context of Norway and within the context of psychology, cultural studies, social theory, and past studies of climate denial and inaction, which deepens understanding of the importance and relevance of this work. Even though the focus of the book is on culture, psychology and emotions, Norgaard does a good job of talking about larger social processes and the "social construction of denial" including the influence of political economy (with Norway being one of the largest exporters of oil in the world and one of the top emitters of GHGs). Norgaard finds the people in this town are noticing that the climate is changing and that there is less snow than in the past, which is a particular problem for them because skiing is an important tradition. However, people only talk about climate change within small talk, and because thinking about climate change brings up difficult emotions, people try not to think about it and it is socially unaccepted to talk about it beyond small talk. Norgaard asks people about climate change in her interviews and it often creates an awkward silence and/or they try to change the subject. In the local political party meetings, for example, she describes the local party leaders trying to keep the focus on "local" issues.... These socially constructed barriers are keeping people from coming together and talking about climate change and creating the "communicative action" that Agency, Democracy, and Nature: The U.S. Environmental Movement from a Critical Theory Perspective as an important pre-cursor to social action on environmental issues (2000). Read more ›