A sustainable future for humanity? How can psychology help?

Abstract

The sustainability of human life on Earth in the future is in danger. Human actions are producing many harmful and possibly irreversible changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. This article summarizes major threats to Earth's environment, including global warming, ozone layer destruction, exhaustion of fisheries and agricultural land, and widespread exposure to toxic chemicals. Unless they are overcome, these changes will make human life increasingly miserable and eventually may make Earth nearly uninhabitable for future generations. These threats are caused by patterns of human behavior, particularly over-population and over-consumption. Urgent changes to human lifestyles and cultural practices are required for the world to escape ecological disaster, and psychologists should lead the way in helping people adopt sustainable patterns of living. Specific steps toward that goal are proposed in this and the following four articles.

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Cited by (21)

1. The Nature Relatedness Scale: Linking Individuals' Connection With Nature to Environmental Concern and Behavior
   Nisbet, Elizabeth K., Zelenski, John M., Murphy, Steven A. · 2009 · Environment and Behavior
2. Global environmental change II: From adaptation to deliberate transformation
   O’Brien, Karen · 2012 · Progress in Human Geography
3. Environmental Sustainability and Behavioral Science: Meta-Analysis of Proenvironmental Behavior Experiments
   Osbaldiston, Richard, Schott, John Paul · 2012 · Environment and Behavior
4. Using the theory of planned behavior to explore environmental behavioral intentions in the workplace
   Greaves, Martin, Zibarras, Lara D., Stride, Chris · 2013 · Journal of Environmental Psychology
5. Place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour in national parks: the development of a conceptual framework
   Ramkissoon, Haywantee, Weiler, Betty, Smith, Liam David Graham · 2012 · Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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