Common Oversights in Sustainable Thinking | Human Factors Minute | #TeamSeas Bonus Episode

...and now for another Human Factors Minute!

Addressing climate change, and sustainability efforts requires us to change our beliefs, assumptions, and thinking about the environment, our economies, and our well being.

In order to change these, we must be aware of many common oversights when considering sustainable thinking.

Most people look for evidence that confirms existing beliefs and tend to reject contradictory information, resulting in confirmation bias.

When considering the future, it's easy to have misplaced confidence that the future will be similar to the past, which will make it difficult to identify mistakes and alter behavior when conditions change.

Humans have a tendency to have wishful thinking, and believe that more favorable outcomes are more likely to happen than undesirable ones.

Many choose to associate only with people who share their views, which often results in belief polarization, sometimes even to the effect of denying the existance of climate change.

By directly addressing our biases and oversights when considering climate change and sustainability, we can begin to reflect on how we, as humans, are thinking about the problem space, and what needs to get done from a more objective perspective.

This is just one of the many ways in which Human Factors can contribute to ensure minimal waste makes it to the ocean

To donate to #teamseas or to find out more about the #teamseas campaign, visit teamseas.org

This has been another Human Factors Minute!

Guest read for you by Saint Nicholas.