Psychological Contributions to Achieving an Ecologically Sustainable Future for Humanity

Journal of Social Issues, Fall, 2000 by Stuart Oskamp

Inertia

Unfortunately, major lifestyle changes typically occur only in response to major crises (for instance, even the great behavioral changes produced by the AIDS epidemic have still not been enough to make most people's sexual behavior safe). Will we have to wait for a huge catastrophe that kills hundreds of millions of human beings before people everywhere become convinced of the need for drastic changes? Despite the drag of inertia, the motive of self-interest is a powerful one that we can appeal to in trying to create a healthier, less-polluted, sustainable world (cf. De Young, this issue).

In efforts to overcome inertia, publicity through the mass media is a crucial influence. Every available media avenue needs to be enlisted in the campaign to inform people, motivate them, and accomplish behavior change that will help save the environment. Yet at the same time, we need to reject the media's constant appeals for consumption, and that is a difficult combination to achieve.

Appeals to Fear

A basic difficulty in promoting behavioral change with respect to environmental issues is that the environmental problems we have been discussing stimulate fear, and social psychological research has clearly demonstrated the complications involved in using fear stimuli. Essentially, people don't like to think about fearful topics, and they frequently repress or deny such information. Clear examples can be seen in inattention to and denial of the dangers of global warming and the ozone hole. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, there are state legislators and congressional representatives who are claiming that CFCs do not pose any environmental danger and are trying to get the United States to return to making and using them, thus violating the Montreal Protocol treaty, which banned production of CFCs. Similarly, many politicians have been objecting to even the weak and distant goals of the 1997 Kyoto climate conference as being damaging to U.S. industry and "progress," ignoring the d rastic danger that global warming poses to living conditions on the entire planet (Broder, 1997).

Research studies on appeals to fear have shown that they are most likely to change people's behavior under two conditions: (1) if people are aware of clear steps they can take to protect themselves, and (2) if these steps are conveniently available (e.g., Leventhal, Meyer, & Nerenz, 1980). Unfortunately, because of the nature of environmental problems, neither of these conditions is easily met:

* Environmental problems are large, so people feel they can do little on their own.

* Environmental problems are long-term, so there are no immediate solutions.

Belief in Technology

As mentioned above, it is often proposed that technology will solve this problem by enabling us to use our resources much more efficiently (e.g., Ausubel, 1996; Simon, 1995), and most Americans have a great faith in progress stemming from technology. Though the Brundtland Commission proposal for supposed "sustainable development" does not actually represent a sustainable scenario, it would be wise to harness and use people's beliefs in technological progress, rather than trying to dispute them (see next section).