In the past weeks, I’ve shared numerous solutions and policies that have been set out to address environmental issues, ranging from the individual to organisations and governments. In most posts, there is one underlying component in all of the solutions that I shared each week which is key to solving the environmental crisis – human attitude and behaviour.
In 2002, Environmental Science Professor Peter C. Schulze proposed the I=PBAT equation[1], modifying the classical IPAT equation to include human behaviour. While it faces valid criticisms[2], I feel that his proposed equation perfectly encapsulates my belief.
I believe that with the right intentions and motivation, we will find a way to solve the issue at hand. It’s true, think about it. When we wanted to hunt or defend our territory, we invented weapons and war tactics. When we wanted to reach for the skies, we invented hot-air balloons and aeroplanes. Similarly, when we wanted to reduce fossil fuel use, we developed green and energy-efficient technologies. All these happened not because we just decided to invent these things for no rhyme or reason, but because we had an intention and a motivation to do so.
The innate drive in the human race pushes us to go further, to learn and innovate technologies whether through mimicking nature or making use of what we have discarded, and to work together and develop solutions that involve an entire society.
When we recognised that climate change is a global issue and that we will face the consequences, we set up conventions and agree on treaties, developed suitable frameworks to chart our direction for the next couple of years, and implemented policies and developed technologies to help us reach our goals. These policies have effects on all levels of society – governments, corporations, organisations, and individuals.
Indeed, it is because of our attitudes (or perhaps because we are forced into a dead-end) that global leaders decide to come together to address the issue of climate change. It is because of the recognition of the role that organisations play that some firms come up with sustainable solutions to complement their existing operations. It is because of increasing awareness of the gravity of the issue that individuals are starting to change their behaviour and adopt greener practices.
In the past 9 weeks, I hope that you have learnt as much as I did. Sustainable development policies and solutions are not silver bullets. While they may address a small part of the climate crisis, there’s always more that can be done, and we have to continue to do more.
Ultimately, human behaviour and choice determine the success and implementation of all current and future policies and partnerships. Because if one link in the chain breaks, everything will fall apart.
SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals
References
[1] Schulze, P. C. (2002). I=PBAT. Ecological Economics, 40(2), 149–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0921-8009(01)00249-x
[2] Diesendorf, M. (2002). I=PAT or I=PBAT? Ecological Economics, 42(1–2), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0921-8009(02)00085-x