Week_1_Lecture

Human Behaviour and Environment

• What shapes human-environment relationships?

• Goal: Working toward a more sustainable world.

  • Instructor: Professor Kathryn Williams (she/her).

Acknowledgment

• Traditional Custodians: Acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Custodians of the land.

• Respect: Pay respect to Elders past and present of the Kulin Nation; extend respect to Indigenous Australians.

Subject Introduction

• New Geological Era: The Anthropocene.

• Planetary Boundaries: Define a 'safe operating space' for humanity, yet these boundaries have been exceeded in critical ways.

• Challenges: Address global ecological crises - climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

  • Reference: Katherine Richardson et al. (2023) on exceeding six out of nine planetary boundaries.

Awareness and Research Findings

• Public Awareness: Australians are less aware of biodiversity loss compared to climate crises.

• Environmental Spending: Majority of Australians believe more money should be allocated to environmental efforts.

• Australia's Impact: Among seven nations responsible for over 50% of global biodiversity loss.

  • Example: 64% reduction of Australian sea lion pups (1977-2019) due to hunting and fishing gear.

• Public Knowledge Gap: Half of Australians unaware of nature crisis yet agree governments need to enhance environmental support.

• Urban Biodiversity: Cities previously deemed as species deserts are now recognized for their potential to foster biodiversity (e.g., snowy owls, otters, bobcats).

Impact of Environment on Humans

• Multiple Challenges: Climate change and local environmental challenges affect human welfare in terms of:

  • Physical health.

  • Mental health.

  • Community health.

  • Reference: Clayton et al. (2015) on the psychological effects stemming from climate change.

Engagement and Interaction

• Ecological Crises Impact: Reflect on the ecological crises and how they affect you and your community.

• Encouraging Change: Explore how to promote better relationships with the natural world and encourage sustainable actions.

Individual and Community Roles in Change

• Impact of Individual Behavior:

  • Aggregation of individual behavior can influence political and corporate change.

  • Individual behavior can drive societal shifts.

• Influence of Policy Makers: Recognizing that policymakers and CEOs are individuals, thus their actions are influenced by public behavior.

Analyzing Human-Environment Relationships

• Basic Principles of Environmental Social Science:

  • Purposeful: Guided by clear questions.

  • High-quality: Systematic and transparent.

  • Scholarly: Grounded in literature but open to findings.

  • Ethical: Respectful to participants.

• Skills for Social Research: Includes literature analysis, ethical considerations, conducting interviews, and field observations.

Topics Covered in the Course

1. Human-environment relationships and sustainability.

2. Human needs, biology, and environmental interactions.

3. Social identity and relationships.

4. Cognitive processes and their limitations affecting behaviors.

5. Factors influencing individual concern regarding environmental issues.

6. What motivates people to take action on environmental issues.

7. Role of external factors on behavior.

8. Impact of education and information on environmental behavior.

9. Influence of social norms on behavior.

10. Encouraging sustainable behavior through behavior change models.

Psychological Dimensions of Human-Environment Relationships

• Life Frames: Four different ways of relating to nature include:

  • Living from, with, in, and as nature.

  • Each frame reflects various values, worldviews, and relationships to the natural world.

  • Anthropocentric: Nature as a resource.

  • Bio/Eco-centric: Stewardship and responsibility.

  • Pluricentric: Harmony and oneness with nature.

Natural and Built Dimensions

• Human-environment relationships are influenced by:

  • Broader social-ecological systems.

  • Urban structure, climate, geology, cultural norms, and government regulations.

Research Assignments

• Research Report: Due April 5, 2025; focuses on psychological aspects of human-environment relationships with a focus on urban parks or irrigated garden lawns.

  • Activities include research, interviews, transcriptions, and analysis.

Reflection Activities

• Reflect on personal relationships with environments (e.g., green lawns).

• Factors influencing these relationships include biological, social, and cognitive dimensions.

Future Steps

• Course Activities: Engage students through key concepts applications, practical environmental issues, and research skills.

Exam Preparation

• The semester includes 10 topics with application questions focusing on real context issues.

• Example Question: Explore reasons for lack of concern regarding biodiversity loss.

Campus Sustainability Engagement

• Engage with sustainability initiatives and research as part of students' experiences to enhance environmental understanding and career direction.

Module Overview: Human Behavior and Environment

Instructor: Professor Catherine WilliamsAcknowledgment: Recognizes the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land.

Big Question

• What shapes human-environment relationships, and how does this inform strategies for a more sustainable world?

Key Themes of the Semester

• Understanding human impact on environmental change alongside natural processes.

• Introduction to the concept of planetary boundaries: quantifying environmental changes and identifying safe operating spaces.

  • Yellow and red zones signify dangerous levels of environmental change.

  • Acknowledge multiple ecological crises, not limited to climate change.

Objectives of the Module

• Explore human relationships with nature and encourage sustainable actions.

• Equip students with knowledge and skills for effective individual and community engagement in sustainability efforts.

Individual Behavior and Change

• Highlight the significance of individual behaviors in driving societal and corporate change.

• Recognize the social influence; behaviors have normative effects in shaping community actions.

• Acknowledge policymakers and corporate leaders as individuals influenced by social norms.

Course Structure and Requirements

• Assessment consists of two research reports and a take-home exam.

• Active participation in discussions is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the content.

• Interconnectedness of lectures, tutorials, readings, and online activities emphasized for effective learning.

Human-Nature Relationships

• Introduction to various life frames for understanding human-nature relationships:

  • Anthropocentric: Humans dominate and prioritize well-being over nature.

• Acknowledge emotional connections and interactions with the environment and ecosystems.

Systems Approaches

• Discussing the importance of systems approaches in analyzing societal and environmental interactions.

• Recognize dependencies and interactions within ecosystems and society to inform sustainability strategies.

Importance of Readings and Interaction

• Critical reading is necessary to deepen concept understanding.

• Apply learned concepts in tutorials and engage in online social research activities.

• Emphasize continuity across modules to enhance the learning experience.

Cognitive Bias Exploration

• Initial reading explores cognitive biases affecting perceptions of relationships with plants and nature.

• Encourage discussions and analysis based on readings to foster deeper comprehension.

Planetary Boundaries

Definition: Planetary boundaries are a framework established to define a 'safe operating space' for humanity within the Earth's ecological limits, ensuring the stability of key processes that regulate the Earth's system.

Key Concepts:

1. Nine Boundaries: The framework identifies nine critical Earth system processes that are vital to maintaining a stable environment:

   • Climate Change

   • Biodiversity Loss

   • Land-System Change

   • Freshwater Use

   • Biogeochemical Flows (Nitrogen and Phosphorus)

   • Ocean Acidification

   • Atmospheric Aerosol Loading

   • Ozone Layer Depletion

   • Novel Entities (e.g., chemical pollution)

2. Exceeding the Boundaries: Crossing these boundaries poses significant risks to the stability of the Earth system, potentially leading to irreversible environmental changes, such as extreme climate scenarios or mass extinctions.

3. Current Status: According to research, humanity has exceeded six out of nine planetary boundaries, indicating critical stress on natural systems and necessitating urgent action towards sustainability.

Importance:

• Understanding these boundaries helps inform policies and practices aimed at mitigating environmental crises and ensuring a sustainable future for all living beings on the planet.