In this article we won’t be talking about transportation, about industry or about coal and oil — we will talk about the psychological problems that haunt people and prevent them from moving to a more environmentally friendly and rational lifestyle.
- First, it is worth mentioning the overuse. In many ways, the path to a more environmentally friendly life begins with the fact that a person should stop consuming too much — and yes, sometimes it even concerns the chance to buy YouTube views, because any of our actions on the Internet also leaves a carbon footprint. Of course, this example is a drop in the ocean, it’s really worth starting with an analysis of the need for material goods. Do you really need that bag or T-shirt, do you really need to buy that candle or a bath bomb that you will be using once and then you’re going to through it away? Consumer’s psychology is a serious problem that affects everything around us: from economy to ecology.
- Next in line is the reluctance to learn new things — some problems often seem too complicated to people, and therefore unworthy of spending time on them. For example, few people know how to turn garbage into recyclable materials, what to do for this and where to turn later. If you try to be open to new things, you can greatly change both your life and the state of the environment. And yes, it is totally worth the deal!
- And last but definitely not the least — people aren’t open to the big change. Many people are completely satisfied with the current order of affairs, quite often you can hear something like: “Corporations need to change so that something gets better: us, ordinary people, cannot influence the situation.” In fact, in order to succeed, changes must occur at every level — from the lowest to the highest. Sometimes such indifference scares and makes you think about where humanity has turned the wrong way, that now everyone is interested only in their personal problems and does not think about the welfare of society and the planet. Many people should think more globally and learn to take responsibility for everything that happens — only then will we be able to change the future and prevent an environmental catastrophe.
But if you are not ready to give up the chance to buy real YouTube subscribers or that cool blouse on sale, if you now have little understanding of what a carbon footprint is — all you need is a little self-education. In fact, this is what makes our psyche plastic and able to cope with all of the above problems. Ecology may not seem like such a significant problem, not something that is really worth spending your time on — but if you want your descendants to live on Earth, and not survive on it, you should start doing something for this today.