I Still Do a Lot of Good

Abstract

Not all transitions to a sustainable society are straightforward. In a survey conducted by Nina Wormbs and her colleague on how people justify acting unsustainably, they ran into numerous instances of cognitive dissonance. The most common ways of reasoning were economic, with people looking to “even out” negative behavior, as if paying into a climate budget. However, the author argues, this does not work for tackling the climate emergency. In caring for the planet, it is important to be aware of the immense complexity of sustainability efforts.