Stage 2: Indifference – Waking Up (But Hitting Snooze)

At Stage 2, you wouldn't have noticed the plastic cups. Photo: Canva Pro.

If Stage 1 is not knowing there’s an alarm, Stage 2 is hearing the alarm but hitting the snooze button. At this stage, people have at least a basic awareness of environmental issues – the ignorance is starting to crack. They’ve heard about climate change, they know pollution and extinctions are real. But do they feel motivated to act? Not quite. Stage 2 is characterized by indifference, doubt, or even denial. It’s that awkward in-between where someone says, “Yeah, I guess the planet is warming… but it’s probably not that bad, right?” or “Sure, plastic is a problem… but my little straw can’t make a difference.” In a classic jokey phrase, Stage 2 is basically: “Is it ignorance or apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.”

The mindset at Indifference: 

People here often minimize the issue or deflect responsibility. They might acknowledge environmental problems abstractly but keep them at arm’s length. Common attitudes include:

• It’s not my problem: “Climate change is for scientists or governments to worry about. I have other things to do.”

• Doubt and denial: “I’ve heard conflicting things – maybe this is exaggerated or a hoax. Those polar bears will figure it out!”

• Optimistic dismissal: “Technology will save us eventually. Someone will invent a fix, so I don’t need to change anything.”

• Overwhelm/helplessness: “Sure it’s real, but it’s so huge I can’t do anything, so why bother trying?”

  
  

In Stage 2, a person might do the bare minimum (throw bottles in the recycling bin when convenient) or symbolic gestures, but mostly they continue their lifestyle as usual. There’s a mental distance between them and the problem. Sometimes this indifference is driven by comfort – changing habits sounds hard, so it’s easier to rationalize not changing. Other times it’s driven by confusion – one news report says this, another says that, so they end up doing nothing. And in some cases, particularly when threatened by inconvenient truths, people slip into outright denial: convincing themselves the scientists are wrong or that environmentalists are alarmist, just to avoid feeling guilty or scared.

Challenges: 

Stage 2 is tricky because awareness without action can calcify into a kind of stubborn inertia. Unlike Stage 1, where knowledge was lacking, here knowledge is present but motivation is missing. It’s like knowing you should exercise but staying on the couch anyway. Societal norms can reinforce Stage 2: if friends, family, or leaders around you all act like it’s no big deal, it feels normal to remain indifferent. There’s also the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance – nobody likes to feel like they’re part of a problem. So a Stage 2 individual might downplay the environmental crisis to avoid the uncomfortable realization that their own behavior (driving a gas car, eating lots of meat, etc.) contributes to it. Denial isn’t always screaming “fake news!”; it can be as subtle as changing the channel when a depressing climate story comes on, or joking, “We’ll all be on Mars by then anyway, haha,” when the topic arises.

At the national level, one could say a country is in Stage 2 when its government officially recognizes issues like climate change but takes little meaningful action – maybe signing treaties with fingers crossed behind their back, or setting distant goals without concrete plans. There’s a kind of procrastination at play: acknowledge but delay.

So how do we nudge someone (or some society) out of indifference? The key is often personal relevance and hope. People move when they connect the issue to something they value – their health, their children’s future, their local pride – and when they believe their actions can actually matter.

How The Playn helps at Stage 2: 

This is where The Playn’s global-but-local approach shines in a different way. Now that basic awareness is there, the goal is to deepen it and break through the emotional barrier. The Playn’s local Sendangered sites work to make environmental issues hit home. For someone shrugging off climate change as a distant abstract thing, a story on their country’s Sendangered site might show how erratic monsoons are already affecting local farmers, or how plastic pollution is killing fish in their favorite lake. By tying big issues to everyday life and national heritage (“this isn’t just about polar bears, it’s about the air your family breathes and the water you drink”), it becomes harder to stay indifferent.

Moreover, The Playn counters the feeling of helplessness by highlighting achievable actions and success stories. Apathy often stems from “I’m just one person, nothing I do matters.” On a Sendangered site, however, you might read about a local school that planted 500 trees and cooled their neighborhood, or a community that cleaned up a beach and saw turtles return. These examples can chip away at cynicism, showing that collective small actions add up. The Playn also profiles Heroes – ordinary individuals or organizations from your country who decided to do something and made a difference. Seeing a neighbor or someone with a similar background be celebrated for positive action can be a wake-up call: “If they can do it, maybe I can too.”

For those in denial or swayed by misinformation, The Playn provides clear, fact-checked information in a friendly tone. The local aspect helps build trust – you’re hearing from people in your region, not some faceless international body, which can reduce the suspicion that often fuels denial. And rather than shaming someone for not acting sooner, The Playn invites them to get involved now. It might say, “It’s okay if you haven’t been active on this – start with one small step.”

Transitioning out of Stage 2 happens when the indifferent individual begins to care personally. It might be gradual: a twinge of concern here, a realization there, until finally the scales tip. Perhaps they notice their child’s asthma getting worse on smoggy days, or they read one too many reports and something clicks – “This is my problem, and I can’t just keep ignoring it.” That leads to Stage 3: Exploration, where that budding concern turns into a quest for understanding and solutions. Let’s see what happens when someone decides to truly engage and learn.

Click here to read about Stage 3: Exploration.