Paradox: The Germans spend a lot of money on travel, especially for long-distance travel – At same time many of environmental protection is considered very important. Felix Ekardt, head of sustainability and climate policy Research Centre in Leipzig and Berlin and professor at University of Rostock, writes about why it is so difficult for us to change our contradictory behaviour and how it could succeed.
Chimpanzees would laugh at us human beings – this is what bestseller author Yuval Harari writes in his book A Brief History of mankind. The Intelligent Animals appreciated ihrheimatliches social environment very much and would never be able to rack up all year round to recover from effort in area of a anderenSchimpansenhorde, Harari notes.
We humans, on or hand, explain Fernreisenzunehmend for greatest pleasure. The long-awaited trip to Tierra, Malaysia, New Zealand or Maldives is for many biggest event par excellence. And quick weekend getaway to Florence or Barcelona is considered EineSelbstverständlichkeit.
At same time, ÖKOLOGISCHSO is quite greatest disaster that individuals can wreak. Insbesondereriesige greenhouse gas emissions are falling, including verheerendenFolgewirkungen of climate change for ecosystems and biodiversity. Aircraft noise UndLuftschadstoffe come on top of it, with deadly consequences for AndereMenschen – and in long run possibly for humanity as a whole.
Environmentalists travel especially often farWhy do we still continue to fly Undweiter? Certainly, long-distance travel also have something to do with ideal of Völkerverständigungzu. To travel is a rejection of old, confrontational, too narrow world.
Felix EkardtIs head of research unit sustainability and climate policy in Leipzig and Berlin as well as professor at University of Rostock. From him appeared 2017 we can change: societal change beyond capitalism critique and revolution and short-circuit: how simple truths undermine democracy.
Neverless, if we want to limit global Erwärmungaber in accordance with Paris agreement to clearly below two and possibly even 1, 5Grad, emissions in all sectors – transport, energy supply, agriculture – must be reduced to zero in world in one to two decades. In addition to technical change, this also demands new lifestyles. It is simply not compatible with history of world; and yet environmentalists are often large frequent flyers, because who is politischinteressiert and educated is often also set in world and quite prosperous. The paradoxical result is n, for example, young people, diejedes grams of plastic and every kilowatt-kilowatts of electricity save, but still like to fly Malnach Tierra to hike or to quickly stop by old Erasmus friends Spain.
The behavioral research knows Freilichschon long: fact knowledge and self-esteem influence our Verhaltennur Limited, despite all beautiful environmental education. In addition re are all kinds of rationalesEigennutzenkalkül and different emotions: convenience, habit, displacement or simply difficulty of Klimatotevorzustellen me when I am just climbing into plane to my dream destination. Moreover, we are all stuck in normality ideas of a fossil getriebenenWelt, which also includes air travel. Finally, my Facebook friends were all in Souast Asia, and colleagues in office, too!
Our inertia in terms of climate istal can be explained, though not justifiable. And one question remains open: Wasfesselt us on long-distance travel?
Date Of Update: 20 April 2018, 12:02
