--- title: Empathy Between Worlds – How Stories Build Bridges in Climate Diplomacy description: "Between conference halls and flooded shores: how empathy and storytelling bridge the gap between experience and policy in climate diplomacy." image: https://go.climatemind.de/hubfs/54600416918_57e2376917_c.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/empathy-climate-diplomacy#main-content) [![Logo ClimateMind](https://go.climatemind.de/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo_blau.png?width=455&height=141&name=Logo_blau.png)Homepage](https://climatemind.de/) - [Start](https://climatemind.de/en/) - [Blog Overview](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog) English Select a language ✕ - [Deutsch](https://go.climatemind.de/de/blog/empathie-klimadiplomatie) - [English](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/empathy-climate-diplomacy) [Get started](https://climatemind.de/en/our-services/) - [Start](https://climatemind.de/en/) - [Blog Overview](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog) [Get started](https://climatemind.de/en/our-services/) English Select a language - [Deutsch](https://go.climatemind.de/de/blog/empathie-klimadiplomatie) - [English](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/empathy-climate-diplomacy) ![](https://go.climatemind.de/hs-fs/hubfs/54600416918_57e2376917_c.jpg?width=799&height=533&name=54600416918_57e2376917_c.jpg) Climate Psychology Public Sector & Policy Research Insights # Empathy Between Worlds – How Stories Build Bridges in Climate Diplomacy ![Janna Hoppmann](https://go.climatemind.de/hs-fs/hubfs/Janna.png?width=48&height=48&name=Janna.png) Janna Hoppmann October 29, 2025 Part 1: [Overview - Psychology of COPs](https://go.climatemind.de/en/cm-website/psychology-cops?hsLang=en) Part 2: [Trust](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/trust-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en)Part 3: [Emotions](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/emotions-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en) Part 4: [Psychological Safety](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/psy-safety-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en) Part 5: [Mutirão and Identity](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/mutirao-identity-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en)Part 6: Empathy between Worlds Part 7: [Collective Intelligence](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/collective-intelligence-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en) Part 8: [Cognitive load and heuristics](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/cognitive-load-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en) Part 9: [Implementation](https://go.climatemind.de/en/blog/implementation-climate-diplomacy?hsLang=en) Anyone moving between the villages of the Pacific islands and the meeting rooms of international climate conferences feels it immediately: the invisible gap between *experiencing* the climate crisis and *negotiating* climate policy. While the sea eats away at coastlines centimeter by centimeter, conference rooms debate commas and wording. Some fight for their livelihoods; others for phrasing. This distance is not only geographic — it is **psychological**. It separates experience from decision, emotion from politics. Research calls it *psychological distance*: the sense that the climate crisis is “not here, not now, not me.” Especially in the Global North, it often still appears as an abstract problem — something that happens to others. But exactly this emotional distance stifles empathy, solidarity, and willingness to act. ---   ## Why Empathy Bridges Distance — and Also Challenges Empathy — understood as the capacity to emotionally take another’s perspective — is the **psychological foundation of global cooperation**. It can bridge the divides between North and South, rationality and emotion, knowledge and responsibility. Frontline stories make that bridge tangible: A pastor in West Virginia who loses his skepticism after a flood. A young woman from Tuvalu describing the sinking of her home — and still smiling. A polar bear on a melting floe that elicits pity but no connection. Such narratives turn abstraction into relationship. They reveal what statistics conceal and awaken compassion that can become responsibility. Yet empathy is not a given: it needs spaces that allow emotion without overwhelming people. Only then does compassion become a driver of collective action — and distance becomes closeness.   ## Where Empathy and Storytelling Work Empathy runs through every level of international climate politics — visible and invisible. It determines **who is moved, who is believed, and whose reality resonates in negotiation rooms**. It becomes most palpable in five fields of multilateral cooperation: 1. Between states and regions: Empathy can bridge the emotional distance between North and South — when stories are told not as appeals, but as invitations to shared responsibility. 2. In diplomacy and facilitation: Empathic moderation creates rooms where emotions are part of dialogue without triggering blame or defensiveness. 3. In communication: Authentic frontline stories make impacts — and solutions — tangible, turning abstract risks into human experience. 4. In civil society: Empathy mobilizes — it turns affect into engagement and enables solidarity across cultural and geographic borders. 5. In moments of shared action: When compassion is translated into cooperation, something rare in global politics emerges — the sense of acting together rather than merely negotiating.   ## Scientific Background – Psychology of Empathy, Compassion, and Storytelling - **Empathy** describes the capacity to engage with others’ thoughts and feelings — cognitively (*understanding*) and affectively (*feeling with*). It creates emotional connectedness across cultural and geographic boundaries (Chu & Yang, 2019; Koessler, Heinz, & Engel, 2023). - **Compassion** goes further: it turns empathy into action-oriented care. Compassion arises when we perceive suffering, recognize its universality, and develop the desire to alleviate it (Roy & Ayalon, 2024). - **Psychological distance** refers to the felt remoteness of an issue — spatial, temporal, or social. The more distant a problem seems, the harder emotional engagement becomes. Storytelling shortens that distance by making experience graspable (Chu & Yang, 2019). - **Storytelling** translates complex realities into human experience. Authentic stories create closeness and activate compassion without overwhelming (Said & Wölfl, 2025). In climate diplomacy this means: Empathy helps us *feel*, compassion helps us *act* — and storytelling connects the two into a language that reaches hearts before it persuades minds. ![54600054775_efd0148a5a_c](https://143598369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hub/143598369/hubfs/54600054775_efd0148a5a_c.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=54600054775_efd0148a5a_c.jpg) ![54598862737_e993dffb23_c](https://143598369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hub/143598369/hubfs/54598862737_e993dffb23_c.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=54598862737_e993dffb23_c.jpg) ![54599961303_01aa5fa588_c](https://143598369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hub/143598369/hubfs/54599961303_01aa5fa588_c.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=54599961303_01aa5fa588_c.jpg) ![54600414768_881b2a75d7_c](https://143598369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hub/143598369/hubfs/54600414768_881b2a75d7_c.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=54600414768_881b2a75d7_c.jpg) ## Observations from the Negotiation Room In Loss-and-Damage negotiations — for example at SB62 in Bonn — **frontline stories are rarely present**. The proceedings are technical, formal, and diplomatic in tone. Emotions find little space between wording debates and bracket discussions. Yet the few moments when personal stories surface — mostly in *side events* or hallway conversations — are palpable. When delegates from the Pacific describe villages being relocated for a second time, the atmosphere changes: the room grows quiet; attention sharpens. For a brief moment, strategy gives way to genuine listening. A formative example was the **speech by Yeb Saño**, then the Philippine chief negotiator at COP19 in Warsaw (2013). After the devastating Typhoon *Haiyan*, he spoke in tears about the destruction of his hometown and began a symbolic fast — “until a meaningful outcome is in sight.” His words moved delegates worldwide — a rare instance of empathy transforming diplomatic space. These moments show: **Empathy is not a disturbance to multilateral process but its human foundation.** When personal experience enters political language, trust emerges — and with it the possibility of turning rivalry into cooperation. But such moments are fragile. As soon as the chair resumes, rationality returns — often as psychological self-protection against overwhelm. That is why deliberately designed spaces are needed: **narrative formats, moderated dialogue zones, and empathic facilitation** that do not leave depth to chance.   ## Psychological Dynamics and Pitfalls Empathy is powerful — and vulnerable. It can build bridges or trigger resistance depending on whether it is experienced as connection or overwhelm. In international negotiations — where power, history, and emotion intersect — empathy is often overlooked yet remains a central psychological factor for trust and cooperation. - **Psychological distance:** The more distant climate impacts seem, the weaker empathy becomes. Abstract threats breed indifference; concrete stories evoke compassion — as long as emotional safety exists (Chu & Yang, 2019). - **Ingroup–outgroup thinking:** Empathy often stays within familiar groups. Perspective-taking can overcome these splits if not framed moralistically (Koessler, Heinz, & Engel, 2023; Uhl-Haedicke et al., 2019) - **Emotional defense mechanisms:** Prolonged crisis communication creates fear, powerlessness, and numbness (*apocalypse fatigue;* Chu & Yang, 2019). - **Reactance and pushback:** If empathy is experienced as moral pressure, it triggers resistance. Empathic communication opens where fear paralyzes (Uhl-Haedicke et al., 2019). - When empathy “tips”: Without avenues for action, compassion can turn into guilt or distance. Only with felt self-efficacy does empathy become constructive engagement (Said & Wölfl, 2025).   ## Research Insights Empirical studies show: emotional connection is one of the strongest psychological predictors of engagement — stronger than knowledge or threat alone. 1. Empathy as a bridge to action: Perspective-taking increases support for climate policy and humanitarian measures — even across cultures (Pearson & Schuldt, 2018; Swim & Bloodhart, 2018). 2. Compassion over guilt: Compassion correlates with donations, activism, and support for structural measures without triggering defensiveness (Lu & Schuldt, 2016). 3. Empathic narratives: Stories that connect emotion and action produce *narrative transportation* — the psychological immersion that strengthens openness and trust (Mai & Sikorski, 2025; Morris et al., 2019). 4. Participation and co-design: When frontline communities tell their own stories, relevance, cooperation, and ownership grow — key drivers of international acceptance (Rigon, 2025). 5. Immersive empathy: Virtual perspective-taking (VR) can reduce distance and measurably boost empathy, especially in education and policy communication (Mado et al., 2021; Markowitz & Bailenson, 2021). At the same time, research shows: empathy is sustainable only when coupled with options for action, safety, and shared agency. Otherwise it tips into overwhelm or withdrawal.   ## Ways Forward – Empathy as an Architecture of International Cooperation What does this mean concretely for climate diplomacy? How can delegations, chairs, and facilitators **structurally enable** empathy — as part of professional practice and institutional culture? Empathy can be integrated into the multilateral routine of climate diplomacy — **not by replacing structure with emotion, but by bringing humanity into the structure.** Much is already possible if presidencies, chairs, facilitators, and partners deliberately use their room to maneuver. 1. Make frontline voices more visible: Personal testimonies can be anchored in *side events*, *high-level dialogues*, or *opening segments* — e.g., short “Human Impact Statements” before technical sessions. This creates narrative evidence without changing the negotiation mandate. **2. Sensitize facilitators to psychological dynamics:** Pre-COP or SB briefings can include short modules on *empathy literacy*, *psychological safety*, and *trust-building* — akin to gender or culture briefings. **3. Use storytelling in dialogue and review formats:** In the *Global Stocktake*, *Santiago Network dialogues*, or *LCIPP meetings*, stories can serve as data — for instance as a “narrative evidence annex.” **4. Foster emotional safety:** Short ritual openings — music, moments of silence, words of appreciation — can strengthen atmosphere and trust without disrupting formal procedures. **5. Actively include intersectional perspectives:** Panels and dialogues should deliberately bring together voices from different social groups. LCIPP or the Youth Constituency can develop trainings and exchange formats. 6. Promote immersive experience spaces: Pavilions or cultural zones can use *VR experiences*, art, and interactive storytelling to bridge distance. 7. Think of empathy as part of multilateral professionalism: In the long run, diplomacy needs a new competence profile: psychological intelligence and emotional self-regulation as professional standards — a cultural shift from *policy literacy* to *human literacy.* Empathy is not an emotional luxury but a governance competence. It can be cultivated, trained, and institutionalized — as part of the professional infrastructure of international cooperation. ---   ## Conclusion – Psychology as an Enabler of Empathic Diplomacy Empathy is not a “soft” factor but a hard resource for trust, legitimacy, and cooperation. It translates scientific insight into human understanding — and thus into political feasibility. When politics systematically integrates empathy, its internal fabric changes: - **From analysis to relationship:** Politics becomes not only more rational but more relational. Decisions arise from lived dialogue — not *despite* emotion, but *through* it. - **From pity to co-responsibility:** Empathy becomes a bridge from affect to action. It strengthens collective ownership and prevents cynicism or overwhelm. - **From fragmentation to systems awareness:** Empathy links individual stories with structural causes and shifts focus from blame to shared efficacy. Psychology provides the tools — from perspective-taking to trauma-informed facilitation. It creates conditions under which empathy **does not manipulate but empowers**. An empathic diplomacy would not be sentimental but strategic: It would encourage listening before deciding. It would conceive of power as relationship, not control. And it would make politics human again — without losing professionalism. Perhaps the transformation of international politics does not begin with new institutions, but with the way **we listen to one another**. In short: **Empathy is the social infrastructure of global cooperation.** When it succeeds, something emerges that goes beyond politics — a consciousness of shared responsibility. Or, in the words of *Mutirão*: *We act because we are connected.*   ### Further Reading - Chu, H., & Yang, J. Z. (2019). Emotion and the psychological distance of climate change. *Science Communication, 41*(6), 761-789. - Koessler, A. K., Heinz, N., & Engel, S. (2023). Perspective-taking with affected others to promote climate change mitigation. *Frontiers in Psychology*, *14*, 1225165. - Lu, H., & Schuldt, J. P. (2016). Compassion for climate change victims and support for mitigation policy. *Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45*, 192-200. - Mado, M., Herrera, F., Nowak, K., & Bailenson, J. (2021). Effect of virtual reality perspective-taking on related and unrelated contexts. *Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24*(12), 839-845. - Markowitz, D. M., & Bailenson, J. N. (2021). Virtual reality and the psychology of climate change. *Current Opinion in Psychology,* *42*, 60-65. - Mai, L., & Sikorski, C. V. (2025). Narratives are Key: How Narratives Influence Solutions Journalism and Promote Climate-Friendly Behavior. *Media Psychology*, 1-26. - Morris, B. S., Chrysochou, P., Christensen, J. D., Orquin, J. L., Barraza, J., Zak, P. J., & Mitkidis, P. (2019). Stories vs. facts: triggering emotion and action-taking on climate change. *Climatic change, 154*(1), 19-36. - Pearson, A. R., & Schuldt, J. P. (2018). Climate change and intergroup relations: Psychological insights, synergies, and future prospects. *Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21*(3), 373-388. - Rigon, A. (2025). A review of intersectionality and climate change and the potential of intersectional participatory methods and storytelling to co-produce climate justice. *Climate and Development*, 1-13. - Roy, S., & Ayalon, L. (2024). “They did not know what they were doing”: Climate change and intergenerational compassion. *The Gerontologist, 64*(3), gnad063. - Said, N., & Wölfl, V. (2025). Impact of constructive narratives about climate change on learned helplessness and motivation to engage in climate action. *Environment and Behavior, 57*(1-2), 75-117. - Swim, J. K., & Bloodhart, B. (2018). The intergroup foundations of climate change justice. *Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21*(3), 472-496. - Uhl-Haedicke, I., Klackl, J., Muehlberger, C., & Jonas, E. (2019). Turning restriction into change: Imagine-self perspective taking fosters advocacy of a mandatory proenvironmental initiative. *Frontiers in Psychology, 10*, 2657. ### About the Author **Janna Hoppmann** is a psychologist and Mercator Fellow for International Affairs. She has worked for many years at the intersection of psychology, climate, and politics – including with governments of SIDS states, international NGOs, and currently in close exchange with the COP30 Presidency. With **ClimateMind**, she brings psychological insights into international climate negotiations, into the work of delegations, and into transformative dialogue formats. 👉 If you would like to strengthen your delegation, alliance, or organization at COP30 or beyond – for example through trust-building, resilience training, or strategies for storytelling and collective efficacy – feel free to reach out [via email](mailto:mail@climatemind.de). Questions or thoughts? 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