Tapping the higher self

Will money-based incentives help make people change lifestyle habits? Or simply appeal to their altruism? This is not so much about going spiritual and talking of the collective consciousness of the race as much as about behavioral science.

There have been innumerable failed attempts of rallying people to a cause, but a pertinent question is: have incentives worked? Not always.

So, if you are asked to reduce air travel, eat less of meat and dairy products and use paper responsibly, as part of your shared responsibility to the planet and other inhabitants, will you consider it?

One of the fundamental insights of behavioral economics is that people are not merely the rational, self-interested beings of Economics 101, but also emotional creatures, capable of altruism and influenced by the behavior of others. Is it better to appeal to the better nature in us, rather than pursue the ‘what’s in it for you’ approach? Formulating policies that tap into our social and genetic heritage of cooperation offers the best hope for success, feel experts.

Simple and inexpensive changes could reduce global warming emissions by one billion tons. A three-day symposium on Climate, Mind and Behavior, sponsored by NRDC and the Garrison Institute, a nonprofit organisation in the US, showed that simple and inexpensive changes by Americans could reduce emissions by one billion tons!

Some of its recommendations included flying once less every year -The average one-way commercial flight from London to Los Angeles produces more greenhouse gas emissions per passenger than the average British commuter produces yearly by car, train, and subway combined!

Consume less red meat and dairy: while the average pound of beef consumed in the United States is responsible for 20 pounds of emissions, a pound of chicken is responsible for less than two. Today’s average American consumes a prodigious quantity of red meat: the equivalent of one McDonald’s Angus Bacon and Cheese Burger per day. Replacing two days’ servings of red meat with poultry will reduce emissions by more than 70 MMtCO2e in 2020. Dairy cattle similarly produce vast quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. Dropping dairy two days per week in favor of plant-based foods is not only healthy but will save more than 35 MMtCO2e in 2020.

Consume paper and plastics more responsibly: Buying recycled paper, stemming the flow of unwanted catalogs by two-thirds, and reducing printer paper consumption by one-third (easily achieved by printing doublesided) will save more than 50 MMtCO2e in 2020. Dropping bottled water consumption by 50 percent in that same timeframe will save another 8 MMtCO2e.

So, are you willing to take on responsibility for the planet?