A lot of people do care, but feel powerless or limited in their ability to act. This sense of resignation is common when we focus on what we can do primarily as individual consumers. Research (for example, The High Price of Materialism [40], see a summary video [41]) shows that the materialistic aspirations and the “I don’t care” attitude typical of the status quo actually undermine both collective and individual well-being. This harms our relationships, leaving us feeling more insecure, anxious, and unsafe.
By continuing to care, and acting accordingly, we strengthen our capacity for collective action while contributing to feelings of meaning, community, and hope (often referred to as “active hope”). Hopelessness is contagious, but so is hope!
Read more: Karin Kali Andersson: Strength in Numbers (In Swedish)
Climate Psychologists’ Newsletter
About author:
Hanna Eggestrand Vaughan
Lecturer and doctoral student, Department of Urban Planning and Environment, KTH, Stockholm
I am a doctoral student affiliated with the program, researching how values relate to ideas of what sustainable consumption is and how it can be achieved. If certain values permeate and shape less environmentally impactful consumption practices, how can this insight be utilized to design policies that promote such values and thus enable deep sustainability transitions?
