Avoiding cultural trauma: climate change and social inertia
Climate change is a low-salience issue among most Americans, and efforts to address the issue have faced social inertia – that is the “cultural, institutional, and individual processes that inhibit actions.” This article puts forward an integrated framework for approaching social inertia, drawing on efforts to address cultural traumas. This framework includes actions at the individual level to reshape daily habits; at the institutional level, around collective routines; and at the ideological level to support social movements.