ABSTRACT
Humans are one of the many species that inhabit this planet earth, and depend on it to sustain life. The tragedy of those species that have become extinct should be a constant reminder that it is not an infallible source. What we often forget is that the earth is also a living thing and that our survival depends on a satisfactory interaction which optimises the continued health of both parties. This health analogy is more appropriate than the economic one of supply and demand, since it is very clear that the earth’s supply is not unlimited. The environment provides us with a vast range of resources, but these resources are not limitless and we cannot rely on finding alternatives when the resources run out. In fact some writers paint a very pessimistic picture of the future. Heilbroner (1974) argues that continued growth in demand by industrialised societies for a life style of the standard currently enjoyed will rapidly deplete resources to such an extent that it will be necessary for a vast decrease in population size to occur if any life is to continue. He predicted that this reduction would occur through large-scale war as a result of competition for scarce resources. Of course war and maintaining the resources to be able to engage in war are major factors which contribute to the depletion of those resources. We all witnessed the large scale destruction of oil wells during the Gulf War and the continued testing of nuclear bombs by some nations despite large-scale opposition. The problems brought about by the continued population growth have been a source of debate for some time, notably in the writings of another pessimist from almost two centuries ago, Thomas Malthus (1798). However it isn’t only the number of people on the earth that is the problem, it is how effectively they use and share the resources. There is much wasteful use of resources and damaging side effects which could be avoided. Sometimes people lack the knowledge of environmental problems, but more often it seems that we are not motivated to change. How people can be motivated to develop more positive environmental attitudes and behaviours is a central problem for environmental psychologists.
