[MPWG] central (read: govt) / local communication

myron wdsofedn at bellsouth.net
Tue Jan 6 01:51:26 CST 2004


This may better provide my point in the last note
>From another e-list- "conservation psychology"
Individual vs Government
Body:     Responding to Joanne's post - I concur that most people in first
world countries
are aware of environmental problems and in a cursory fashion do "support"
conservation efforts. Evolutionary theory has much to say about why we are
in
the current state of affairs and can explain a substantial amount of why our
behavior patterns drive the current denigration.

Furthermore, although I agree that governmental systems in place may be
inefficient in mediating these problems, I don't agree that they are the
thrust
behind why humans aren't conserving. Although governments primarily have the
role of implementing mechanisms that could facilitate "convenience" - there
has
to be sufficient support for those mechanisms on the individual level.
Bottom
line is individual people have to be convinced that their behavior is
driving
the problems (and not big business or other outside sources) in order to set
the wheel in motion that would ultimately result in governmental
intervention.

I see the problem as two fold - first, in line with evolutionary theory,
humans
are simply not built to contend with issues on a global scale, or even on a
scale outside of their immediate daily environment. Working against our
evolutionary machinery via bombarding the "rational man" is simply
inefficient.
Secondly, once we learn more about our "programming" we can learn to put
systems in place that manipulate those triggers, which can change behavior
patterns in a way that will safeguard resources for sustainability. Once
these
triggers are known, THEN government intervention can implement systems that
coincide with our natural behavioral tendencies. There are many isolated
instances of closed-group conservation efforts that are successful, and the
ones I am aware of are working outside of governmental influence.

Yes, people support environmental efforts, however, their is a strong
disconnection between these "values" and attitudes and their behavior. This
is
partly because people don't understand the impact their daily routine has.
In
my opinion, it is first necessary to understand completely that
disconnection
before we begin to solicit governments to implement facilitory mechanisms. I
agree that there are many impediments, however, government in and of itself
is
not the problem.

Cheers
Dawn

-- 
Myron Hardesty
Clinical Herbalist

Weeds of Eden
1572 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY  40205
(502) 456-9453 

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