We want to live long and not get sick, breathe clean air, eat natural and safe foods. We hope that our children and grandchildren will be able to see a snowdrop in the forest and swim in the river where we swam in childhood. And yet most of us do not seriously think about what is happening to our planet. Psychologies experts reflect on ecology and our relationship with the world.
«I don’t believe it’s as bad as they say on TV.» «It’s all the industry’s fault.» «Even if I turn off the heater, it won’t change anything.» Many more excuses can be cited, but one cannot but admit that not everything is in order with the outside world.
Back in the middle of the last century, we had a poor idea of what ecology is. This term existed only in dictionaries and specialized literature, where it denoted a section of biology that studies the interaction of living organisms depending on environmental conditions. But in recent decades it has become clear that man as a biological species has faced serious problems regarding his habitat. Radioactive pollution and giant garbage dumps, depletion of the ozone layer, the energy crisis, the destruction of forests — it became clear how fragile the natural balance is, how easy it is to cause serious, even irreversible failures in the planet’s life support system.
- Eco-life in our eco-hands
What are we risking
“Humanity is entering a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene epoch, and our actions threaten to destroy the natural mechanism of self-regulation of the planet,” says biologist Will Steffen, director of the Climate Change Institute (Australia). The term «Anthropocene» denotes the era of human dominance over nature; according to the Nobel laureate, Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen (Paul Crutzen), it replaced the Holocene epoch, which, in turn, began 100 years ago, with the end of the last ice age. “Further expansion of human activity,” continues Will Steffen, “threatens to undermine the sustainability of the state of the Holocene epoch.”*
This means that ecology today is something more than the calls “Don’t walk on lawns” and “Take care of nature — your mother!”. Today, it’s not enough to take out the garbage after a picnic on the lake, not to cut down the Christmas tree that was “born in the forest”, and not to wash the car in the river closest to the dacha (although all this is certainly important). In the last third of the twentieth century, environmental problems have taken on a political and philosophical scale: we are faced with the task of keeping the planet fit for future generations. The vast majority of us understand this: 78% of Russians express concern about environmental problems**. But one should not think that those who live according to the principle “even a flood after us” do not concern these problems. Nobel laureate Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and author of The Inconvenient Truth (Amphora, 2007), argues that Antarctic ice could melt in as little as five years, and physician and neuroscientist David Servan-Schreiber is convinced that the current cancer epidemic is directly related to the introduction of chemical carcinogens into our lives and changes in animal husbandry practices. However, the December UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen showed that the conflict of economic interests prevents world leaders from developing a common strategy for sustainable development. This means that the responsibility for the biosphere lies with the leadership of individual states … and with each of us. For any of these «instances» the problems of nature protection have not yet become a priority.
Lords and nature
Why is it difficult for a modern person to admit that it is impossible to continue to live the way we are used to? “By our biological and psychological nature, we are programmed for expansion,” says Marina Butovskaya, an anthropologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences. — The desire for progress is a property of the human race, which found expression in the Cartesian idea of man as «master and ruler of nature.» But this very development eventually tore us away from nature, we ceased to perceive ourselves as part of the natural environment.
Over the millennia, change has been slow and imperceptible in the lifetime of one generation. But starting from the XNUMXth century, the rapid development of industry and technology, in particular the extraction and use of hydrocarbons (coal, oil, gas), gradually accustomed us to the idea that man conquered natural forces and became the ruler of the planet. “Meanwhile, our dominance over natural forces is illusory,” says philosopher, professor at Northwestern University (Evaston, USA) Suleiman Bachir Diagne (Souleymane Bachir Diagne). “Today we better understand that all living things are interconnected, that we should think as part of the big world, and not oppose ourselves to it.”
Shades of green
When we say the word «ecology», it is not always clear what we mean. Different people single out in this large and complex topic what is closer to them. The most understandable and relevant is harm to health. In this regard, chemicals are especially dangerous, polluting the soil, water and air, entering our body and causing many diseases: allergies, poisoning, cancer. This danger can be prevented by state regulation and control of emissions from industrial enterprises, prohibition of certain harmful technologies and chemicals. There is scope for the activities of environmental organizations and green political parties (although in Russia only 4% of respondents share the political views of the greens***); but consumers can do a lot. Europeans, for example, actively protect their health by choosing environmentally friendly furniture and clothing, buying products from organic farming and animal husbandry, and refusing products that harm nature.
The other side of ecology is ensuring the sustainable development of mankind, for which, first of all, energy resources are needed. Therefore, wind generators and solar panels, new heat-insulating materials and construction technologies, the use of rainwater and recycling of waste are becoming relevant. And here the will of the state is also needed: it should stimulate the development of new energy sources, finance scientific developments, and introduce energy efficiency standards.
«TO PERCEIVE THE AROUND WORLD AS TRUSTED TO US, AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH IT AS A WAY OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.»
Finally, the third, most abstract and therefore complex level is the preservation of the planet not only in the interests of people, but also for its own sake. “Living with the attitude “The whole world exists to meet my needs,” we create big existential problems for ourselves,” says existential psychotherapist Svetlana Krivtsova. “A person who perceives nature solely as a consumer runs the risk of falling into an existential vacuum, depriving himself of those inner values that the world around us gives us, if we perceive it as a temple, and not just as a workshop.” Existential dialogue involves understanding the inherent value of nature, which infinitely surpasses our limited consciousness and perception, but thanks to which we experience the unity, harmony and beauty of the world. With this view, rapidly disappearing species diversity, deforestation, melting ice and abnormal droughts, as well as the threat of global warming, which we constantly hear about, become a challenge to the human in each of us. “We are creatures endowed with a moral sense, and therefore we can perceive the world around us as entrusted to us, and relationships with it as a path of personal development,” Suleiman Bahir Dian believes. “As the only thinking beings on the planet, we are responsible for it. Thanks to us and through us, biological evolution is aware of itself.”
overcome barriers
Suppose we sincerely believed that it was necessary, as the Little Prince said, «to put our planet in order.» But when it comes down to it, unconscious psychological resistance arises: we don’t want to change anything. How can we overcome the barriers that hinder us? There are proven methods to achieve environmentally conscious behavior.
In one experiment, participants were told how much electricity their neighbors used on average. As a result, those who spent more than average reduced their consumption, but the thrifty ones also wanted to “average out” and began to spend more. To prevent this from happening, the scientists encouraged the economical ones with leaflets painted with smiling faces — this allowed them to keep their motivation to save further ****. This means that our conformity can stimulate responsible environmental behavior. Another way that uses the mechanisms of social interaction is blogs and social networks. For example, everything about the separate collection and recycling of waste in St. Petersburg can be found in the Ecoist’s Diary. If we post our progress on the Internet, it will allow us to share useful information, and at the same time, it may encourage our friends to follow a good example.
“If we can visually see that energy is being wasted, we will naturally want to conserve it,” says Muhyun Jake Kim, creator of outlets that show the energy consumption of appliances in standby mode (these outlets are described on the blog community.livejournal.com/ 0n_ecolife/profile). The same is true in other cases: most people save energy if they get real-time information about their consumption. For example, we are more willing to use economical appliances and energy-saving lamps if smart appliances immediately show us how much our costs have decreased. In such cases, 5-12% of energy is saved.
Decision-making and calculation of future benefits in the field of ecology are arranged in exactly the same way as in the financial sector, and this analogy can be used. Knowing that we are more afraid of losses than we are of gains, it is better to warn about a possible loss of $500 over 10 years than to promise a $500 bonus for 10 years of saving energy or combating global warming. These conclusions were reached by researchers from Columbia University (USA) David Hardisty and Elke Weber (David Hardisty, Elke Weber)*****. For example, people are more willing to insulate their home for a small fee right now than to save a larger amount over the course of several years.
But what about ecological consciousness and disinterested love for nature? After all, all these measures seem so pragmatic and mundane, and besides, it is not known what is the main thing here — protecting the environment, taking care of your wallet, or increasing self-esteem. It’s okay, says Svetlana Krivtsova: «Starting small, we gradually get used to behaving more reasonably and consciously, we think more about the consequences of our actions.» When everyday behavior becomes more «green», it will certainly change our global attitude to the world around us, and the personal qualities of each of us. The main thing is to start!
* Nature, 2009, vol. 461, September.
** According to the Public Opinion Foundation.
*** According to the Levada Center (www.levada.ru).
**** P. Schultet al. «The Constructive, Destructive, and Reconstructive Power of Social Norms». Psychological Science, 2007, vol. 18.
***** «Discounting Future Green: Money vs the Environment». Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2009, vol. 138.