Attributing extreme weather to climate change: State Park employees as institutional actors

Researchers in environmental psychology celebrate the potential for state and national parks to inspire civic engagement in the issue of climate change. Yet, prevailing conceptions of nature may reflect ongoing colonial concerns, such that parks may represent a space to avoid thinking about—rather than reckon with—escalating ecological crises. In this paper, we approach the topic of climate change in state parks from a perspective informed by decolonial theory. In particular, we report a mixed-methods study with (N = 51) employees at parks in Kansas and throughout the United States regarding the extra-individual factors that impact their tendency to subjectively attribute extreme weather to climate change. Findings indicate that park employees were less likely to attribute extreme weather to climate change in parks with (1) less institutional support for climate change mitigation, and (2) increased presence of white conservatives. Responses to a question about the purpose of parks and open-ended reflections reveal that employees conceive of parks as a space for recreation wherein their primary role in relation to visitors is to supply “fun” and “natural” experiences for consumption. We reflect on conceptions of parks and nature and discuss a conception of parks better suited to confront the escalating ecological crisis.