How Utilitarian Environmentalism Can Backfire

Brandon Keim, writing for Wired:

In experiments published August 12 in Nature Climate Change, psychologists found that telling people about carpooling’s money-saving benefits seemingly makes them less likely to recycle.

In short, appeals to self-interest backfired, accidentally encouraging people to behave selfishly in other areas.

Heartening, in a way. Maybe it’s time environmentalists get back to their roots.

(If it seems like I’ve been linking to Keim’s work a lot lately, there’s a reason for that.)

Thanks to the support of readers like you, Per Square Mile remains independent and ad-free.

If you enjoy what you read, please consider supporting the site with a donation.


opening times