Applying Social Psychology to Avoid Ecological Disaster

The danger of humans producing irreversible harmful changes to the environmental conditions that support life on earth is grave and imminent. Since this threat to the environment is caused by human behavior, behavioral and social scientists have an important role to play in reducing it. The goal of their efforts must be to determine and encourage patterns of life that can be sustainable into the indefinite future. The most central factor producing our environmental problems is the worldwide population explosion, which must be curtailed as soon as possible in order to provide any hope of a sustainable world. This article gives examples of valuable social science research related to population control, global environmental change, energy conservation, and reducing and recycling solid wastes.