Hi all,
There’s an interesting article from Behavioral Scientist related to how societies (and on a smaller scale, cities) can apply policies in various ways to shift from environmental degradation to environmental protection. It begins with a recognition that our society’s market-based focus on short-term profits and economic growth significantly contributes to environmental problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, and plastic in the oceans. The authors argue that in order to shift course from this dangerous trajectory, we need to change the way we think.
Based on research, they suggest three policy-related approaches that can facilitate the necessary changes:
1. Offering new solutions that fit within dominant value systems, such as electric cars or vegetable-based meats
2. Challenging individual institutions that support existing value systems but undermine one or more mechanisms that lead to environmental challenges, such as new forms of urban design and policy like reduced parking, congestion pricing, and bike lanes. These shift the way people behave but also how they think about urban life and mobility
3. Seizing opportunities after a crisis in order to make more fundamental shifts to institutions and value systems**
**My personal opinion is that the ethical implications of this would need to be thought through
Further, the authors suggest policy mechanisms that can make transformative changes in market-based and technology-oriented values in the areas of governance, consumption, science in business and society, and more.
For more details, you can find the article here.
