I think this short opinion piece fits in well with the Easter Island reading. It is interesting to consider that our instincts are optimized to react to threats that present a clear and immediate danger (e.g being chased by a tiger). The piece suggests that relying on people to make sustainable choices is not an effective way to address climate change because there isn’t sufficient pressure of an immediate danger.
I believe that this is the most frustrating aspect of sustainable development! Citizens across most nations have other pressing issues such as clean water and putting dinner on the table, yet those well-off are still pushing the environmental crisis to the back of their minds until it will impact day-to-day life.
Agree 100% about not mattering until it impacts day-to-day life. Seems we humans are not wired to worry too much about the future. Extreme events like Hurricane Sandy and currently the serious drought in California have a way of waking people up to the realities of climate change, but it remains to be seen whether we have the will to act – we may already be past stopping the changes and into forced adaptation.