Feeling affected by climate change related disasters has the potential to mobilize belief in climate change, concern about the issue, and support for mitigation policies – even when accounting for the effects of physically living through a disaster. In this study we use a two-wave survey design where respondents in the United States were interviewed before and after Hurricane Florence to better understand who feels affected by such disasters. First, we find that being worried about climate change increases the feeling of being affected by the hurricane among those who regularly discuss climate change. Second, we find that those who are high in perspective taking are more likely to feel affected. However, those who are high in empathic concern, but feel obligated to help victims of disasters, are less likely to feel affected. This suggests that hurricanes may cause a collapse of compassion, where those who are especially sensitive to the suffering of others down-regulate their emotional response to costly disasters.

受气候变化相关灾难影响的感觉有可能动员人们对气候变化的信念，对这一问题的关注以及对减缓政策的支持，即使考虑到灾难中人们的实际生活也是如此。在本研究中，我们使用两波调查设计，在佛罗伦萨飓风前后，对美国的受访者进行了采访，以更好地了解谁感到受到此类灾难的影响。首先，我们发现，对气候变化的担心增加了定期讨论气候变化的人受到飓风影响的感觉。其次，我们发现那些有远见的人更容易受到影响。但是，那些具有高度同情心但又有义务帮助灾难受害者的人则不太可能受到影响。