Inaction
Why won't people stop polluting?
- It “doesn’t affect people’s everyday lives.”
- Fear of consequences.
- Worry that we'll be judged by others.
- "A tendency to wait for others to act."
- A disinclination to change things.
- "Will it cost me?"
- “Somebody will think of something.”
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While we rationalize our addiction to pollution, the weather worsens.
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- “There’s a time lag." "We’re adjusting to ... ‘shifting baselines syndrome’ ...
Little by little, a hotter, more chaotic, and more dangerous world is becoming normal.”
- “We ... unknowingly accept an increasingly degraded ... planet as normal.”
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"The more [it] would change their lifestyle, the less they support it.”
“‘It’s ... hard to get people to change their way of life’.”
“People tend to overweigh the potential negatives.”
If you changed your life-style, would you put close relationships at risk?
Being a good citizen butts up against tendencies to prioritize families & friends.
“People learn ... facts ... through discussion with friends and family.”
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When people do quit a polluting life-style, it’s often because:
We "feel inaction
will compromise values.”
“We have a positive view of [the new] behaviour,
and have a strong sense of personal obligation.”
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How can we encourage more people to create less pollution?
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“The best antidote to climate anxiety is ... action.”
Share inspirational stories.
“Take an empathetic approach.”
A "tipping point" is a "critical moment [where a] small ... development produces a sudden large ... change."
A potential negative tipping point might be massive methane releases from worldwide warming tundra.
But there are also potential positive "tipping points".
A social tipping point can be reached:
when enough consumers change habits, others may notice a cultural pressure to join the (anti-pollution) effort.
