Awareness of the climate crisis and the harm being done by humanity to the planet and its inhabitants is growing. And while we wait for governments, industry, investors, and others to mobilize to the fullest extent possible, many of us have started to do something about reducing our carbon footprints. Barriers like needing heat in a cold climate and the inability of rural residents to take the subway are real, but the fact is almost everyone can and needs to do more. What’s stopping us from doing at least the things we can do?
Environmental psychologist, Robert Gifford, at the University of Victoria in Canada, argues the barriers are more psychological than structural and he’s identified 33 of what he calls the “Dragons of Inaction”. Here is a summary of a few of them. See his article in New Scientist Dragons for the full list. Gifford’s advice is to identify your own dragons and then you can slay them! Can you relate to any of these?
1. Ancient brain: Our ancestors needed to focus very much on the here and now for survival. So, our brain isn’t very good at viewing future impacts as being of as much importance. This makes us slow to act.
2. Lack of knowledge about what to do: Some of the issues are enormously complex and we’re not helped by deliberate efforts to cast doubt on the science by powerful vested interests in the current system.
3. Many solutions are difficult to implement: Solutions are not always obvious or well-understood.
4. Believing matters are worse elsewhere: This is a widespread phenomenon and it often furnishes us with an excuse not to act. Also, if others aren’t changing then the thought becomes, “why should I?”.
5. Believing that we will have little or no impact on the outcome: This, too, can serve as an excuse not to act plus it tends to numb us to the problem.
6. An over-confidence in technological solutions: This provides another rationale for inaction.
7. The status quo is comfortable: If this is the case, then we are reluctant to rock the boat.
8. Habit: Repeated actions are highly resistant to change e.g., our diet or our transportation choices.
9. Worrying about “social risk”: What other people will think if we start riding a bike or go vegan.