Human Behaviour and Global Warming

 It should be clear to most members of the Church community that human behaviour is one of the causes of global warming. A recent article in the Guardian makes the claim that a "Human ‘behavioural crisis’ at root of climate breakdown, say scientists" (Rachel Donald, 13 January 2024, LINK)  Donald writes: "At the root of all these problems, according to recent research, is the human “behavioural crisis”, a term coined by an interdisciplinary team of scientists." 

We know that "unless demand for resources is reduced, many other innovations are just a sticking plaster." Donald quotes Joseph Merz, a co-founder of an "organisation that researches the systemic causes of the climate crisis". ´Merz writes: "We’ve been saying ‘be more green’ or ‘fly less’, but meanwhile all of the things that drive behaviour have been pushing the other way. All of these subtle cues and not so subtle cues have literally been pushing the opposite direction – and we’ve been wondering why nothing’s changing.” 

The argument essentially calls for a fundamental behavioural change by people in western society, who are the biggest resource consumers. The article recognises the existing incentive infrastructures work against behavioural change. Churches are no exception. Face-to-face meetings provide a simple example, because they feel so comfortable that proponents may persuade themselves that environmental impact is negligible, even when they know full well that such meetings will involve the car travel and winter heating costs. We are prisoners of habits and preferences.

While changing our personal behaviour is symbolic of our commitment to preserving God's creation,  changing the incentives within our congregations matters equally.