Summary:
A study by American and German researchers have found that people are less likely to invest money against climate change if their payoff is delayed. The more delayed their payoff was, the less money they invested. What this means is that people care more about the results they can see more immediately than far off. This may be the biggest challenge to gaining support against climate change because the effects of what we achieve today won't be take place until decades from now. Climate change policy asks people to sacrifice what they have today for the future, but it seems that we have to change our approach now. We need more short term, but still powerful, incentives to better the environment. Ironically, short term goals for combating climate change may be more effective than long tern goals because of people's willingness to participate. The need for win-win climate change policies increases now that we know one factor to why people aren't motivated to save the planet.
Quote:
"We’re likely better off tailoring solutions that work with our selfishness and brief attention span, rather than hoping we suddenly become better, more farsighted people."
Personal Thoughts:
Perhaps it's not just greed and selfishness that makes people unwilling to help the environment. I think this issue is interconnected to economical issues and educational issues. People's priorities have been skewed by financial problems and lack of education makes them think that they can't be both economical and sustainable. So, I don't think that the amount of action against climate change accurately represents all the people who want to become more sustainable. I think there are people who would be more sustainable if they didn't have to worry about money and convenience. I wonder what kind of people they used in the experiment. Would the results be effected by social class?
Citation:
Walsh, Bryan. "Science & Space." Why We Dont Care About Saving Our Grandchildren From Climate Change Comments. Time Magazine, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Link:
http://science.time.com/2013/10/21/why-we-dont-care-about-saving-our-grandchildren-from-climate-change/
This brings up a good point that explains almost all situations: if people don't get an immediate reward then they're less likely to carry out the task. I feel like everyone has an innate instinct to procrastinate and wait until we can be sure of completion and reward. Yet, when it comes to the environment we can't wait until we have nothing else to rely on because by then it'll be too late.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of Molly's post about the Ozone. People are seeing the consequences in front of them and they're not affecting their lives so why change their ways? It does make sense though that finical issues can get in the way. But there are many things they can do that benefit both the environmental and their bank account - shutting off lights and appliances, and recycling (trash bags are expensive which forces people to reduce their amount of trash).
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