“One can see from space how the human race has changed the Earth. Nearly all of the available land has been cleared of forest and is now used for agriculture or urban development. The polar ice caps are shrinking and the desert areas are increasing. At night, the Earth is no longer dark, but large areas are lit up. All of this is evidence that human exploitation of the planet is reaching a critical limit. But human demands and expectations are ever-increasing. We cannot continue to pollute the atmosphere, poison the ocean and exhaust the land. There isn’t any more available.” – Stephan Hawking
Human beliefs and behavior have an impact on climate change and so, researchers have proposed that climate change can be understood as a prevalent social dilemma because it poses a conflict between self- and collective interest as well as short-term and future interests. Even though individuals are strongly concerned about the environment, it has been assumed that factors like abstractness, time extendedness (future based), and the intergroup nature often discourage people’s actions to reduce climate change. Abstractness and uncertainty usually gives rise to beliefs that other people are primarily self-interested that is, the myth of self-interest is characterized by high abstraction and uncertainty. Even if in the future other people’s willingness to contribute to reduce climate change increases, individuals remain pessimistic about such willingness in the present. Time extendedness is complicated because individuals favour interests that operate in the “here and now” rather than future interests. And, local group interests tend to outperform larger collective interests during negotiations among nations.
Individuals’ attitudes and behaviors towards climate change is influenced by their experience of its harmful effects. According to the availability heuristic, risk perception in human cognition will be influenced by recent or common events that are cognitively available. For example, when it is hot outside or when people experience extreme weather conditions, people attribute it to global warming and climate change. Thus, research has shown that current media coverage and direct experiences will increase environmental concern. However, tendency to be overly optimistic about the future and focusing on the present are some biases that affect one’s concern. These cognitive biases affect the way in which individuals react to climate change and the amount of motivation one shows in mitigation efforts. The human-nature interaction and beliefs about environmental concern are important to understand in order to mitigate and adapt to the rapidly changing climate.
The fact that human activities like burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, fertilizer use, livestock production, and many other industrial processes increase emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases lead to climate change, is well documented. These changes lead to drought, heatwaves, floods, wildfires, failed crops, and storms which in turn affect humans. As climate change fuels temperature increases and extreme weather events, it jeopardizes our air, water, and food; spreads disease; and imperils our homes and safety.
Although the physical effects of climate change are usually documented, it also has a psychological impact on humans like uncertainty, ambiguity, and feelings of threat and stress. Extreme weather events and conditions lead to emotional disturbance. In the early stages, anticipatory fear is experienced, followed by the trauma of the event itself, and then sorrow and grief at the losses after the calamity has been afflicted. Even though there is limited literature on the topic, many calamities have shown to affect people’s mental health.
Knowing about these harmful effects, efforts have been made to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Many countries have looked into the matter and have come together to work towards a sustainable future. An unprecedented step to reduce worldwide emissions was taken in 2015 when many countries from around the world signed the Paris Agreement. Its fundamental aim is to drastically reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide and other substances contributing to climate change.
Various companies across the globe are taking efforts to reduce energy consumption, recycling and reducing greenhouse emissions, and prioritizing sustainability. One example is Nike, which uses sustainable products made out of materials like recycled polyester. The Nike Grind program collected post-consumer shoes and reuses parts of the sneaker to make other items, therefore, reducing waste. Apple has created several wind and solar farms to power its data centers, retail stores, and corporate offices instead of using non-renewable sources of energy. IKEA has new products that help people cut their electricity and water use, such as a tap nozzle. It has also introduced eco-friendly materials into the production process, which will lower costs and help the environment. Many Indian companies like Godrej, TATA, and Reliance industries are also committed to using sustainable practices. For example, the TATA group through their “closing the loop” initiatives are implementing sustainable packaging and producing fertilizers through waste. Reliance industries have also launched a project to tackle plastic waste in India by supplying waste plastic for the construction of roads.
According to the Voluntary National Review (2020), the climate action strategies of India have called for clean and efficient energy systems, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and planned eco-restoration. By using energy efficient appliances, India has reduced 38 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Globally, India stands third in renewable power, fourth in wind power, and fifth in solar power.
One can aim to reduce their carbon footprint, recycle items, and use sustainable products that will help in the mitigation of climate change. We should individually and collectively work towards a sustainable future because, as Emmanuel Macron said, “there is no Planet-B.”
Nikita Mehta
