Applying What We Know

In our last post, we talked about the concept of delay discounting and gave examples related to sustainability and sustainable behaviors. In this post, we’ll discuss how we can utilize that knowledge to engage in behaviors that have a delayed, but environmentally friendly, outcome The field of behavior analysis has much to offer in terms of presenting solutions to climate change.

What we can do

Modify Contingencies

Developing sustainable interventions from a behavior analytic perspective can be of tremendous value to your community, workplace, or home.  Hirsh, Costello, and Fiqua (2015) conclude that, it is productive to consider ways in which we can reduce response effort of sustainable behavior.  Many of our techniques (e.g., selecting targets, alternative behaviors, prompting, social validity measures, maintenance, generalization) could be of much use to individuals and organizations spearheading sustainability efforts.

Analyze your impact

At the individual level, the most systematic way to address climate change is to calculate your own impact, and tackle one behavior at a time.  Find an online calculator to determine your carbon footprint, and then select one behavior to target.  Utilize behavior analytic tools to make this intervention successful (e.g., reduce response effort, add prompts, involve others, select reasonable goals).  Once you have tackled one behavior and developed maintenance for that response - simply rinse and repeat.

Be a voice for change

Advocate for change at the local, state and federal level.  Government is representative of the voices engaging with the legislative process.  It is dangerous to assume that the government will address everything that needs to be done without your advocacy or support.  If you can’t provide your time, support organizations through charitable donations. 

Model sustainability

Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk. When we stop talking about sustainable behavior, and start engaging in those behaviors, we become the change we wish to see.  In addition, we are providing a model for those around us to imitate.  We know from previous research (Aronson & O’Leary, 1982) that humans are more likely to engage in a target behavior when others in near proximity are engaging in the same behavior.  Allow yourself to become the model of sustainable behavior for others.

Become Anti-Racist

There are more conversations than ever in the field of behavior analysis on the importance of developing culturally responsive interventions. One cannot discuss environmental solutions without acknowledging their tie to racial justice.  Kaplan (2020) stated the following:

Racism is “inexorably” linked to climate change … because it dictates who benefits from activities that produce planet-warming gases and who suffers most from the consequences.  One study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences found that black and Hispanic communities in the U.S. are exposed to far more air pollution than they produce through actions like driving and using electricity. By contrast, white Americans experience better air quality than the national average, even though their activities are the source of most pollutants.

Rather than passively stating “I am not racist,” becoming anti-racist means that you are actively working to promote racial equality.  This requires undoing systemic racism within yourself and the systems around you through education and targeted action.  Advocating for racial justice will aid in dismantling the systems that allowed for people of color to be disproportionally impacted by the consequences of climate change.

Give yourself a break

Be compassionate with yourself if you feel like you’re not doing enough.  Large scale change will require collective action from more individuals and organizations.  Try your best to address the problem, but don’t get so wrapped up in it that you become hopeless.  In order to combat climate change, behavioral consistency is key, not short bursts of sustainable behavior.  This is a long game.

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Delay discounting adds to our understanding of why more people haven’t acted to address climate change, but the adverse impacts of climate change are becoming less delayed.

As time progresses, humans are coming into contact with consequences related to climate change.  Many people are now directly impacted by rising sea levels, limited freshwater, wildfires, and more erratic weather patterns.  The unique scientific perspective of behavior analysis has much potential to address climate mitigation and climate adaption.  There is no better time for us to get in the game.  

Meghan Martineau, Ph-D, BCBA-D