4 Finding the Long-Lost Path: Developing …
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first-hand the effects of caring for the environment, or in this context, letting nature
be, and heal itself. Therefore, on the brighter side, the pandemic may have vividly
amplified the awareness that humans have been facing an environmental crisis from
time immemorial, and the pandemic may have provided the right conditions to rise
up to the occasion.
Horton & Horton [41] hypothesised that in order for change to occur, two possible
paths could be taken. The first being a large-scale catastrophe leading all governments
to unite for change. This global uprising can be equated to a revolution or an uprising.
The second scenario took into account an age of enlightenment, where evidence and
past failings are recognised, and necessary changes are made in a democratic fashion.
The pandemic, in one way or another, may have brought both these scenarios into
the current picture. The pandemic in itself is a global catastrophe, and increasing
media attention has been given to the changes in the environment during the periods
of lockdown all over the world. As the media directed attention towards the selfhealing properties of nature, most people became increasingly aware of the extent of
environmental degradation that had been caused due to human interference, while
several of them became more active in showing concerns for the environment—thus
reaching the hypothesised “new age of enlightenment”. Perhaps then, we may have
reached this arena of revolutionary change today, as an indirect consequence of the
pandemic situation.
Increased harmony between the environment and the people is the need of the day,
and such a new way of being can be achieved by increasing focus on environmental
knowledge and communication, eco-technology, environment-friendly policies and
international global agreements. Here, the priorities would shift from the immediate
satisfaction resulting from the constant consumption towards a sense of betterment
and well-being, that relies on community living that is in accordance with nature—an
unsurprising insight that has come to surface during the pandemic, which is a focus
of the present chapter.
This chapter first mentions how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the environment, and then goes on to explore how the environment impacts the well-being
of humans. It goes further beyond to explain how psychology can be used to change
human behaviour to make it more pro-environment, so as to promote sustainable
behaviour. It explores both the contributing factors as well as obstacles in achieving
the same. Finally, a psychosocial model for sustainable action is proposed, which
focuses on promoting global health, wealth and peace, thus creating a safe and secure
space for all living beings, and existing in harmony with nature. This lockdown and
our observations of its impact on the environment tell us that small changes to our
lifestyle can have a huge impact on the environment, and these insights may help us
from irretrievably losing our precious planet to destruction and greed. One can only
hope that humanity emerges from this shock into a sustainable, cleaner world.
95
first-hand the effects of caring for the environment, or in this context, letting nature
be, and heal itself. Therefore, on the brighter side, the pandemic may have vividly
amplified the awareness that humans have been facing an environmental crisis from
time immemorial, and the pandemic may have provided the right conditions to rise
up to the occasion.
Horton & Horton [41] hypothesised that in order for change to occur, two possible
paths could be taken. The first being a large-scale catastrophe leading all governments
to unite for change. This global uprising can be equated to a revolution or an uprising.
The second scenario took into account an age of enlightenment, where evidence and
past failings are recognised, and necessary changes are made in a democratic fashion.
The pandemic, in one way or another, may have brought both these scenarios into
the current picture. The pandemic in itself is a global catastrophe, and increasing
media attention has been given to the changes in the environment during the periods
of lockdown all over the world. As the media directed attention towards the selfhealing properties of nature, most people became increasingly aware of the extent of
environmental degradation that had been caused due to human interference, while
several of them became more active in showing concerns for the environment—thus
reaching the hypothesised “new age of enlightenment”. Perhaps then, we may have
reached this arena of revolutionary change today, as an indirect consequence of the
pandemic situation.
Increased harmony between the environment and the people is the need of the day,
and such a new way of being can be achieved by increasing focus on environmental
knowledge and communication, eco-technology, environment-friendly policies and
international global agreements. Here, the priorities would shift from the immediate
satisfaction resulting from the constant consumption towards a sense of betterment
and well-being, that relies on community living that is in accordance with nature—an
unsurprising insight that has come to surface during the pandemic, which is a focus
of the present chapter.
This chapter first mentions how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the environment, and then goes on to explore how the environment impacts the well-being
of humans. It goes further beyond to explain how psychology can be used to change
human behaviour to make it more pro-environment, so as to promote sustainable
behaviour. It explores both the contributing factors as well as obstacles in achieving
the same. Finally, a psychosocial model for sustainable action is proposed, which
focuses on promoting global health, wealth and peace, thus creating a safe and secure
space for all living beings, and existing in harmony with nature. This lockdown and
our observations of its impact on the environment tell us that small changes to our
lifestyle can have a huge impact on the environment, and these insights may help us
from irretrievably losing our precious planet to destruction and greed. One can only
hope that humanity emerges from this shock into a sustainable, cleaner world.