Tackling Climate Change (1/2): Why Don't We Act On Climate Issues?
Often we behave in ways that are against our longer-term interests. Most of the time this is manifested in rather trivial affairs, such as picking up that chocolate bar in the supermarket — which, though far from ideal for our health, only impacts our own wellbeing in the long-run. The same cannot be said about climate change, however. Taking that extra (well-earned!) vacation abroad, or travelling across the country for a meeting that could just as well be conducted over the phone, contributes heavily to the already enormous level of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in our atmosphere (Ernmenta & Nel, 2014). If sustained, these sorts of behaviors run counter to our longer term survival — so why don’t we act in more pro-environmental ways?
Cognitive Barriers in Addressing Climate Change
A big part of the problem is that we like to live in the moment, preferring to satisfy our immediate needs rather than considering what may serve us best in the future. This bias, commonly known as present bias, refers to the greater weight people place on payoffs that are closer to the present moment, as compared to those in the future (Frederick, Lowenstein & O’Donoghue, 2002). This makes intuitive sense when we consider some everyday examples, such as choosing a chocolate bar over a healthier option. It seems we are somewhat hardwired to choose options that best gratify our immediate needs, and put more effortful options to one side for our future selves to worry about (Bisin & Hyndman, 2014). For example, in the case of choosing to drive or take the bus to the grocery store, we will tend to give in to the easier ‘self-gratifying’ yet-un-environmentally friendly option and take the car.
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About the Author
Amit Dhir
Amit holds an MSc in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is currently a researcher, where he helps brands to better understand their customers' behaviour. In addition to working with consumer brands, he is also interested in the application of behavioural science to tackle social, developmental and environmental challenges. He has a passion for understanding how emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality might one day help to tackle such problems.
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