Wrong Arguments for Sustainability

Yesterday at New Years, just about to finish dinner, 8 people, 8 full tummies, 8 opinions. One of the opinions said he had to fly within Germany over Christmas to see his parents, because, it’s so much cheaper than the train. And anyways, it was the first time he flew within Germany. “Aha” I said. And shut up, because I have had this conversation too many times in my life.

Not the other people though.

Few people cared about sustainability a year ago. This dramatically changed, since Fridays for Future and Co (bless them). Now it’s the hot topic at (m)any dinner parties.

So it was for us.

Little action. Some thinking. A lot of talking. We, politicians, managers, citizens and consumers struggle with sustainability. Factual knowledge and morals do little to change it. We can all understand everything somehow. But none of this changes the fact that we are running into an unprecedented catastrophe. Together. It’s a joint endeavour.

I got tired before the fireworks went off.

It’s amazing how little new arguments emerge out of such conversations. They are the same that they were ten years ago. By now, I identified some common patterns. Maybe you’ve heard them yourself. I surely have said them myself.

The Scapegoats

What they say
Others need to take action. Especially politics and cooperations.

What’s rather true
Facing sustainability by yourself alone doesn’t solve the problem. As well as it doesn’t if Germany alone takes action. As well as it doesn’t if the EU alone takes action. It’s a world-thingy.

What’s more true
Yes, politics and cooperations need to take action. There is no way around it. And it’s also true that we on an individual level take action. How can we expect policy makers or CEOs to act more sustainably. How can they spread this within a whole organisation or country, if we can’t even do it in our own little world. Doing it will challenge you and give you the insights you need in order to manifest it in a grander context, such as your own organisation.

Contrary Values

What they say
We don’t care.

What’s rather true
We care. A lot. Studies show that when you ask people about sustainability, they do care. No one is interested in living on a barren planet. Most of us love the environment and its beauty.

What’s more true
We talk about values ​​that are contrary to sustainability, such as our cosmopolitanism. We also believe that a lot of things in our daily life contribute to our well-being, while at the same time harming the planet. When we approach sustainability, we often come to face our conflicting values. Just being alive means harming other life. If it’s the plants you eat, the people you hurt, the waste you generate. There is no escape of this. It’s also true for any other life on this planet. The question then is: how do you reduce the harm you are causing?

Sissy’s Thron

What they say
We are egoistic.

What’s rather true
We often insist on our own advantage. Sometimes openly, sometimes less so.

What’s more true
It’s ok, to care about ones own survival and well-being first. There is no reason to judge someone who acts selfishly. Yet, humans have the capacity to go beyond themselves. Our amazing brains are able to extend compassion to other beings. It often doesn’t come natural, but it can be trained. And we as a society are able to train ourselves and others to go beyond that.

Better-Then

What they say
We don’t have an SUV, so we are already better than the other guy.

What’s rather true
We agree that our lifestyle is normal, that we are not excessive. We sort trash and buy organic. We can always find someone who causes more harm than us.

What’s more true
I have fallen into this argument countless times. The result was usually, that I offended people and increased their resistance (which is a proven psychological mechanism). Blaming and pointing fingers is not going to solve the problem. Instead, acknowledging that each person wants to do little harm, while it might be harder for others, does.

Conclusion

At a deeper psychological level there are several other instinctive defense mechanisms, such as denial, projection, rationalization, overreacting, distortion. Add to these emotional factors, such as criticism-aversion, comfort, habits and group thinking: What we get is what we see. We are ill prepared to make the change. Yet, we can start with acknowledging that there are no good arguments for inaction.