A groundbreaking academic paper led by a conservationist from New Zealand has revealed a pressing issue: human behaviour is causing ecological overshoot. The paper, published on September 20, 2023, by a team of scientists and academics, explains how our current behaviour is depleting natural resources faster than they can be replenished and generating excessive waste. This crisis, called the “Human Behavioral Crisis,” is driven by maladaptive human behaviours and requires global recognition for intervention in addressing ecological overshoot and its consequences, such as climate change.
The authors argue that previously adaptive human instincts have been exploited for profit to an extreme extent, resulting in highly harmful behaviours that threaten life on Earth.
The paper defines the term “behavioural crisis” as the negative impacts of human behaviours that were once helpful but have now been manipulated to serve the global industrial economy. This exploitation has generated immense financial gain for some but has produced more waste than Earth can handle. These behaviours, influenced by marketing, have pushed humanity into ecological overshoot, endangering life on our planet.
The “human behavioural crisis” emphasizes the need to address not only the symptoms of ecological overshoot but also the root causes and drivers of these behaviours.
One of the co-authors highlights the importance of understanding why humans behave destructively towards the environment.
The inspiration for this paper came from observing a lack of research on behaviour in relation to our ecological problems. The authors believe that examining behaviour will reveal why we consume excessively.
While current interventions focus on resource-intensive measures like renewable energy, the authors argue that psychological interventions should be prioritized as they are less resource-intensive and more effective.
The authors suggest that we have a choice when it comes to addressing overshoot and climate change. We can either address the symptoms or target the drivers behind our excessive consumption. They advocate for establishing new social norms that align with planetary boundaries.
The authors state that their findings are crucial because they highlight a critical intervention point to address overshoot and its consequences.
This paper serves as a call to action and offers a fresh perspective on an issue that requires meaningful dialogue. To address overshoot and climate change, the authors suggest reframing social norms and fostering collaboration between scientists and storytellers.
Time is running out, not only because our natural systems are deteriorating but also because effective interventions require a cohesive society capable of unified action. As overshoot worsens, the risk of societal breakdown increases.
Given this urgency, the paper calls for increased attention to the behavioural crisis, interdisciplinary collaboration, further research on power structures, efforts to promote new consumption norms aligned with the survival of life on Earth, and increased regulation of behaviour manipulation.
In summary, anthropogenic ecological overshoot is a consequence of a crisis caused by maladaptive human behaviours that endanger life on Earth. We must address this crisis by changing our behaviour.
Among the co-authors are renowned experts in economics, advertising, and ecology.
Based on the media release by Merz Institute.
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