Climate change is a pressing global issue, yet despite widespread concern, there's often a reluctance to discuss it openly, hindering effective action. This study focuses on nature lovers, a group with a potential vested interest in environmental issues, to understand their perceptions and communication patterns regarding climate change. The research question centers on identifying barriers and pathways to climate action within this specific demographic. Understanding how nature lovers, often distanced from the broader environmental movement, perceive and discuss climate change is crucial for developing targeted interventions. The study's significance lies in its potential to inform strategies promoting climate action by leveraging existing social networks and shared interests among nature-related organizations. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of lay perceptions of climate change and offer actionable insights for fostering more effective climate communication and engagement.

Existing literature highlights the prevalent attitude-behavior gap surrounding climate change, with many individuals expressing concern but failing to translate it into action. Studies indicate a reluctance to discuss climate change within social circles, attributing this to factors like differing viewpoints and fear of appearing incompetent. The concept of "pluralistic ignorance," where individuals mistakenly believe their views are unique, further exacerbates the issue. Existing typologies like "Global Warming's Six Americas" and "The Five Canadas of Climate Change" categorize individuals based on their level of concern and engagement with climate change. However, there's a dearth of research focusing specifically on nature lovers' perceptions and their engagement within the climate change discourse. The environmental movement itself has been segmented into various groups, some of which, such as birders, tend to distance themselves from more overtly political action. This study bridges this gap by examining a segment of the population that may be amenable to climate action due to their direct experience and appreciation of nature.

This qualitative study employed 32 semi-structured interviews with 33 representatives from diverse nature-related non-profit organizations across Ontario, Canada. The interviewees included board members and employees, representing various organizational foci such as conservation, hiking, skiing, hunting, and fishing. A purposive sampling strategy aimed for a range of organizational sizes and geographic locations. The interviews, conducted via Zoom, integrated open-ended and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions explored interviewees' observations of climate change impacts and their perspectives on discussing climate change within their organizations. Closed-ended questions used established frameworks like "Global Warming's Six Americas" to assess levels of concern and engagement. Data analysis involved thematic analysis of transcripts using NVivo software. Thematic coding followed a grounded theory approach, combining pre-existing codes from the literature with emergent themes from the data. Bivariate statistics were used to analyze the relationship between self-identified climate change attitudes and expressed worry. The study also used the SASSY tool to validate the self-assessment data. An unexpected event—widespread wildfires in Ontario—influenced the interviews, resulting in increased salience of climate change in subsequent interviews.

The study's key findings reveal a complex interplay of factors influencing climate action among nature lovers. The vast majority of interviewees (87%) acknowledged noticing local climate change impacts, such as altered biodiversity, seasonal shifts, extreme weather events, and wildfires. Regarding the "Global Warming's Six Americas" framework, 40% self-identified as "Alarmed" and 47% as "Concerned." However, a significant barrier was the avoidance of climate change discussions within their organizations. This avoidance was attributed to several factors: 1. **Confirmation Bias:** Interviewees exhibited confirmation bias, selectively interpreting information to align with their pre-existing beliefs, whether accepting or rejecting climate change evidence. 2. **Gradualism and Distancing:** Many interviewees expressed gradualism, believing climate change is a slow-moving issue, or temporal distancing, viewing its effects as a future problem. While concern for future generations was evident, it sometimes served to delay immediate action. 3. **Scepticism:** While not outright denial, scepticism was expressed, often through minimizing evidence of climate change effects. 4. **Finite Pool of Worry:** Daily life concerns, particularly for parents of young children, competed with worry about climate change. 5. **Frustration with Others:** Significant frustration was expressed towards politicians, corporations, and individuals perceived as unconcerned. 6. **Lack of Knowledge:** Two interviewees acknowledged a lack of knowledge as a barrier. Despite these barriers, pathways to action also emerged. Many interviewees expressed concern about climate change's impacts on their organization's activities (e.g., shorter ski seasons, changing wildlife ranges). The social aspect of nature-related organizations offered potential for fostering climate change discussions. However, attitudes towards open discussion varied, ranging from avoidance and obstructionism to open-mindedness. The study highlights the potential of leveraging the existing social networks and camaraderie within these organizations to promote climate change conversations.

This study's findings directly address the research question by revealing significant barriers and pathways to climate action among nature lovers. The high level of concern, combined with the reluctance to discuss climate change within social groups, underscores the need for targeted interventions. The identified barriers—confirmation bias, gradualism, scepticism, and the finite pool of worry—highlight the psychological and social factors inhibiting action. Conversely, the observed pathways—concern for organizational activities, offspring, and organizational camaraderie—suggest opportunities for promoting engagement. The results emphasize the importance of tailoring climate change communication to resonate with the specific concerns and values of nature-loving communities. Leveraging the social structures and shared interests within nature-related organizations presents a promising avenue for fostering dialogue and encouraging climate action. This study's contribution lies in providing empirically grounded insights for crafting effective communication strategies and interventions.

This research demonstrates that while a significant portion of nature lovers are concerned about climate change and observe its effects, barriers to collective action exist, particularly a reluctance to discuss the issue within their communities. The study identifies confirmation bias, gradualism, scepticism, and a finite pool of worry as major obstacles. However, opportunities for action exist by utilizing the inherent social networks of nature-related organizations. Future research should explore organizational-level interventions to foster climate change discussions and collective action. Further investigation into the role of age and diversity within these organizations could provide a richer understanding of individual motivations and barriers.

As a qualitative study, the findings are not generalizable to the entire population of nature lovers. The sampling strategy, while aiming for diversity, might not fully represent the spectrum of nature-related organizations or their members. The unexpected wildfire event, while providing insightful data, could have influenced responses and introduced a potential bias. The self-selection bias inherent in participation in qualitative research needs to be considered. Further research using quantitative methods or larger samples would strengthen the generalizability of the findings.