Plastic bags and disposable cups are bad for the environment. But DW reporter Hannah Fuchs buys sometimes. She asks, environmental psychologists, and why it is so difficult to change one’s own behavior.
Actually, I pay attention to my waste production. And I’m trying to fabricate in everyday life as little as possible plastic waste, my lunch in re-usable cans to take to buy and NO disposable cups.
As I said, actually.
Just today, I bought on the way to the office a much-needed coffee. In a cardboard Cup. Caught! An estimated 110 grams of CO2 to land on my climate account. Ka-ching! And Yes, I had a guilty Conscience. Before and after. Meanwhile, it’s kept in borders, the coffee left me the deed to be forgotten.
Click here to read: reusable mugs instead of cardboard and plastic, the new environmentally trend of Coffee to go?
Disposable cups vs. favorite Cup: A weak Moment on a Monday morning
But now the caffeine spell is broken, and this is a parasite of the disposable Cup stands next to me on the Desk. He’s staring at me: “I knew you couldn’t resist me,” he thinks. In addition, my hot lover porcelain Cup, the disappointment literally. But hey, I’m going to use the paper cups for the time being, as a table, trash can. Recycling so.
I’m not alone – right?
“Bad, everyone has to decide for themselves to feel,” says Gerhard Reese, head of the programme “man and the environment: psychology, communication, Economics” at the University of Koblenz-Landau. “This is a matter, which depends on social norms and our own morals.”
DW-author Hannah Fox has a coffee mug on the Conscience – but is that really so bad?
And indeed, I am with my 31 years in good company. Because that’s exactly my age group according to surveys, the most common takeaway coffee. And how’s the Conscience?
Most of the people my age – and probably many others – would refer to themselves-probably as well as environmentally aware.
“Environmental awareness” means, strictly speaking, the Knowledge of climate change and the willingness to do something about it.
However, this insight alone does not necessarily lead to a Change in the “environment behavior” – i.e., waste prevention, energy and water saving, sustainable consumption, or commitment for the protection of the environment.
But why not? If I would bring the awareness alone of the consistent Action, then I would have bought today, no Coffee-to-go. As little as about 460,000 people in Berlin alone, whose disposable land Cup, according to a study today in the garbage.
In psychology it’s called something like this Intentions-behavior gap.
Environmental behaviour: Many things that determine our Actions
So – and when, for example, people change their environmental behavior – the relatively young discipline of environmental psychology.
Gerhard Reese, is an environmental psychologist and Director of the study of “man and the environment: psychology, communication, Economics” at the University of Koblenz-Landau
“One reason our routines that we have gained over many years of socialization are, of course,” says Reese. He himself had grown up in a large household where there were two cars.” As it was, of course, that you do with 18 years, the driver’s license.” Such habits, you must first break through.
In addition, people have a Problem with something, says Elke Weber, a Professor of energy and environment at Princeton University.
“Studies have shown that the risk of losing something is experienced as twice as strong as the anticipation to get something.”
This means that the positive effects of our changes in behavior for the planet, move us less than the loss of our personal freedoms – driving a car, for example.
Climate change is still not visible enough?
There are almost daily bad news of the environment and the climate: We live year by our standards, we are Endangering our oceans by waste and micro-plastics, climate-related natural disasters to take demonstrably, the 2-degree target, even better 1.5 degrees, as a last Chance to save our earth – what is discussed in the climate negotiations again and again. Not to speak of air pollution, deforestation, species extinction,mono-cropping, over-population…
Read more: The 5 biggest environmental problems
“Climate change as a construct has quite a few factors that make it difficult to act,” says environmental psychologist Gerhard Reese. On the one hand, he had felt that way for most of the people both in time and place. “We are not noticed, perhaps for the first time so much, except, for example, periods of drought or heat in Germany.”
And on the other, the issue is simply also very abstract. Elke Weber sees this Problem. People don’t be cautious, if you Do have a visible effect. And environmental protection, and probably future generations would really feel an impact, “but the effort should now be made, by contrast, is something very Real,” she says.
“Only it doesn’t help to think”
All these aspects lead to the fact that many people think about simply precisely about the consequences. “And just think about it does not help, of course,” says Reese.
What might, however, help the environmental psychologist, are political decisions. Bans, which will enable a framework in which “environmentally-friendly behavior rather than inhibited is promoted”. An example: The German Renewable energies act (EEG), which has led to German citizens invested in renewable electricity generation.
Read more here: EU says plastic waste in the fight
Environmental protection copying? Works!
But, after all, a lot of people take according to a YouGov survey also measures of its own in order to live more sustainable: the majority of the respondents dispensed with, if possible, on plastic, you try to repair things rather than buying new, and to use energy responsibly.
Reese also sees our environment as an important point of orientation for one’s own behavior. “If, for example, many of my friends are vegetarians, then I will ask me to probably the reason,” says Reese, “and it might also even try.”
The “Big Points” of everyday life
But back to my disposable Cup. Gerhard Reese referred to decisions in Everyday life, such as my “beautiful, but important behavior of cosmetics” – which can result in of the mass to important changes.
Even more important is the so-called “Big Points were, however,”. This means, for example: living space reducing Alternatives to using a car to drive instead of taking the plane to the train in the holidays.
Read more: train versus plane: How much does travel really cost?
What is not put into perspective, however, my slip-up this morning.
Because these “Peanuts” are important on the way to the Big Points, writes Michael Bilharz, sustainability expert at the Federal environment Agency in its strategic concept “‘Key Points’ of sustainable consumption”. “The idea of ‘The most Important thing first!’ is no Argument to talk the contribution of consumers ‘small’,” it States.
Although our individual and everyday effort, from a global point of view, always remained small. At the same time but it is undeniable, “that the global consumer-related problems can only reduce if the everyday consumption patterns of us to change people in the industrial countries.”
In the collective save the world
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Gerhard Reese sees the community in the duty. “Many say, ‘I can do’ nothing. This is a piece of far-right,” says environmental psychologist. But that’s exactly what it is, what hemme us humans.
“We need to manage it, the feeling of the individual to a collective level”, he believes. Means: We must see the challenge as a community task.
“And otherwise,” says Reese at the end of our conversation, “to create a re-usable coffee mug.”
I’ve already got that – just never where I need him, too. But I’m gonna change that from now on.
Click here to read: Berlin’s Clubs to be green