Climate Change and Catastrophic Thinking — Letters that should have been in the new york times

2.17.19

To the editor:

In his powerful piece on climate change (2.17.19, Time To Panic), David Wallace-Wells makes frequent reference to the value of 'catastrophic thinking' as a way to mobilize appropriate action to fight global warming. But what he is describing is realistic thinking rather than catastrophic thinking - at least as the term is commonly used within psychology. Catastrophic thinking is distorted thinking based on excessive worry. Learning to reign in such thinking is key to managing anxiety. Decision making often becomes frozen or problematic in such states.

If catastrophic thinking is not the solution to the cognitive biases that - in Wallace-Wells words - lead to 'delusion' and 'self-deception' then what is? An insistence on the legitimacy of scientific facts, that our elected officials believe in such facts and that denial - turning a blind eye to reality - is an unacceptable response to the real catastrophe, the frightening catastrophe we all face. We need to be able to think about the catastrophe in order to face it, not think catastrophically.

Respectfully submitted,

Larry S. Sandberg MD