What, exactly, is the human brain good at? PART 3 OF 3

This is part 3 of a three-part article. Part 2 was published a few hours before this one. At the bottom of this third part you’ll find a link to the full article.

(After discussing what the human brain is good at and not-so-good at – in part 1 – and introducing the climate crisis and our brain – in part 2 – we’re continuing the discussion of six important aspects …)

Economics. The dominant politico-economic dogma seems to be eternal economic growth. For sustainability, this dogma should be left behind, as for example Dutch Asha ten Broeke writes [52]. She refers to John Stuart Mill who as long ago as in 1848 wrote that increase of wealth isn’t without boundaries – and growth can take place in other areas like culture and moral and societal progress [53]. Also highly relevant is Kate Raworth. Raworth, an economist, is known for her concept of the ‘donut economy’: an economy that respects both minimum levels of economic activities to prevent and fight poverty and illness, as well as maximum levels to prevent environmental degradation [29].

Technology. There’s a lot going on in technology-related efforts to curb climate change. For example, electric cars, wind and solar power, and hydrogen focus on replacement of fossil sources of energy. Emeritus professor Martijn Katan summarizes a 2020 study by Dutch science academy KNAW and associated European organizations [54; 55]. Storage of carbon dioxide, and production of hydrogen gas from natural gas, aren’t feasible in the medium term – for a number of reasons. The only way to pass on a livable world to our grandchildren is to pollute drastically less.

Some promote nuclear energy because it doesn’t use fossil fuel. Evidently, that’s an advantage. However, there are many disadvantages connected to nuclear energy: huge construction costs; huge construction time; serious subsidies needed; very long-term radioactive waste storage needed – but not (yet) feasible; serious accidents (Three Miles Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima); risk of theft of radioactive (waste). Thorium as a nuclear fuel is suggested as an alternative for conventional uranium – thorium reactors need alternative uranium –, but today only India seems focused on implementing it [56; 57].

My current attention is primarily drawn to reduction of energy consumption, sustainable storage of electricity, and recapturing energy. Examples include not buying ‘stuff’, eating local food, not driving a car, using LED lighting, reducing waste, novel battery principles like the BlueBattery and the GreenBattery, that use membrane-based separation of salt or acidic water for the storage of electrical energy [58]; or Swedish SaltX which is developing a battery to store heat, not electricity, by using calcium oxide and water and by reversing this reaction. A one MegaWatt experiment is on its way [59]. Or, on a smaller scale, heat recovery from domestic waste water by startup De Warmte (the Heat). [60].

Psychology - Human ‘nature’. Nathaniel Rich and George Steinmetz [42]: ‘(…) human beings, whether in global organizations, industries, political parties or as individuals, are incapable of sacrificing present convenience to forestall a penalty imposed on future generations.’ In other words: humans prefer instant gratification.

Yet, why do humans massively decline instant gratification in education – which also takes some 10 to 20 years? If it is because of the economic impact of education, then maybe the positive (economic) impact of curbing climate change can be highlighted.

Psychology – biases. Wikipedia [61] provides a huge list of cognitive biases, i.e. systematic errors in thinking. Teachthought – ‘we grow teachers’ – has a nice categorized overview picture of these thinking errors, by Buster Benson and John Manoogian III [62]. The categories are: (1) ‘what should we remember?’; (2) ‘too much information’; (3) ‘not enough meaning’; (4) ‘need to act fast’.

A single example per category (there are over 180 items): (1) prejudice; (2) confirmation bias; (3) curse of knowledge; (4) Dunning-Kruger effect. Note that one of my favorites, cognitive dissonance, is mentioned in Wikipedia, only [61].   

Adaptability versus Vested interests. During COVID-19, many small businesses have been able to adapt. For example, restaurants are providing take-away services. But what about, say, fossil fuel and aviation companies? Do we see these types of companies fundamentally adapt to climate change?

Protection of vested interests is associated with decades-long campaigns by various stakeholders, like fossil fuel and other companies and conservative and neoliberal politicians, supported by lobbyists, thinktanks, some scientists, and consultancies [25]. Tactics have included denial, pseudo-science, creating uncertainty and doubt, undermining trust in science, and pseudo-skepticism. This resulted in a change of perspective in (parts of) the general public.

Innovation. While the upsides of innovations can be huge, the downsides can also be huge. As to the latter, consider the steam engine, the combustion engine, the airplane, nuclear energy, and financial innovations such as CDOs and CDSs. Given the massive changes needed to prevent a climate disaster, innovations probably are required. However, this should be targeted innovation – e.g. directed at the political systems, the economic systems, and at psychological interventions – while keeping a sharp eye on the Earth’s ticking clock. In addition, not only innovation’s upsides, but also its downsides require another sharp eye.

Note that we may only have about a decade: we’re currently all dancing on a volcano

Fortunately, many climate-supporting developments and initiatives can be witnessed. These include: young people demonstrating their concern and motivation; most Dutch political parties assuring they support CO2 reduction targets; NGOs having impact, in- and outside law suits; higher impact by collaboration of interest groups (e.g. during Dutch Climate Alarm 2021, by the Climate Crisis Coalition of eleven action groups including Greenpeace [63]). Heart-warming are also the recent foundation of a Dutch scientific climate ‘management team’ which builds on the Dutch COVID-19 ‘Outbreak Management Team’ [64], and the new Dutch ‘Transition motor’ movement [65].  

Why do some people not seem to care about climate change? The Guardian’s Greg Harman [66] takes a neuroscientific stance with additions from psychology. ‘(…) how to explain the paralyzing resistance to climate change action, where the risks approach existential peaks unseen in historical human experience?’ ‘(…) we’re beginning to understand just why people behave so irrationally.’ First, the human brain isn’t optimized to respond to large, slow-moving threats. Instead, it is optimized for smaller fast-moving threats. Second, there’s loss aversion bias, optimism bias, and instant gratification bias. Third, Kahneman states that certainty helps being decisive [2]. Fourth, human minds are irrational. Fifth, humans respond better to status, metrics and friendly competition than to more information. Sixth, people have a real problem with self-control. ‘Very few people on this planet want to destroy planet earth. It’s just that our other agendas get in the way of things that might have a longer time horizon.’ (Elke Weber, Columbia University).

Fortunately, a 2021 report on a very large global survey by UNDP, shows reassuring results, particularly among younger people [67].

And then, there’s the awkward paradoxical point of investing in mitigating risks: if the investment is successful, people may wonder whether there actually was a problem in the first place, and why so much effort and money went in to mitigation. These days, we can see a lot of this in COVID-19, with some people stating that it is ‘only a flue’, whereas the very strong measures taken to curb COVID-19 are actually the reason why it - vaguely - looks like ‘only a flue’. For the Netherlands, the death toll without mitigation is estimated at 134,000 – compared to the actual circa 9,500 [68]. The estimated global actual death toll (on 30 March 2021) was 2.8 million. How high would the global death toll have been without mitigation? However, COVID-19 mitigation comes with enormous costs. This includes large sums of governmental financial aid; but also, lives are lost or shortened because of prioritized medical care for COVID-19 patients. Then again, no mitigation would also have resulted in enormous costs.

The following six considerations (mnemonic: ‘NEMDEI’) may help to give an extra boost:

1. Need for speed: There are only a few years left to take action, globally.
2. Ethics: Take the ethical, high, road, not the unethical, low, road
3. Messages could focus on emotions, thinking errors/biases and benefits concerning climate protection: note that a recently published study shows that nature conservation may even be economically the best solution [69]. Be creative in e.g. stirring green emotions.
4. De-escalate: According to experts, it is vital to de-escalate difficult conversations because both sides may feel they are right, and only openness, honesty and curiosity help close gaps [70].
5. Expanding one’s circle of influence - as an individual and as a group - seems doable and useful; younger people on average see a stronger need for action, so may provide thrust [67]. In particular, expanding influence could be directed towards politics at all levels. In addition, expanding influence to the business world could be important. Buy shares if you can, and exercise your voting rights. Also, you can expand your green footprint and decrease your fossil footprint. Expand your brain through learning, e.g. to effectively address ‘wicked problems’ [71].
6. Inclusive: Initiatives need to be inclusive, since a climate crisis will impact on all of us. 

Perhaps the conclusion could be this: yes, humans can use their brains well for some things but not so well for other things. If humans do not soon realize that we are just guests on planet Earth, together with numerous other guest species, and act accordingly, homo sapiens and numerous other species will be in big trouble. (for the ‘guest’ concept, see [72])

 You can access the full article at: https://www.slideshare.net/secret/vDdPlzPHn5mFGV

++++++++++++++++++++ REFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++

Note: several referenced sources are in Dutch.

1. Ben Tiggelaar, Thinking tips of the master himself (Denktips van de meester zelf). Dutch daily NRC, 3 December 2016. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/12/02/denktips-van-de-meester-zelf-5621271-a1534752
2. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking – Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2011
3. David Rock and Christine Cox, SCARF? in 2012: updating the social neuroscience of collaborating with others. Neuroleadership Journal, issue 4 1-14, 2012
4. Suzanne Weusten, Mental Banana Skins (in Dutch: Mentale uitglijders). 2018. De Argumentenfabriek. p.117. This booklet is about a range of common thinking errors made in current events. The author covers examples of some 27 biases
5. Bart Funnekotter interviews Jonathan Haidt on the occasion of the Dutch language version of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (‘Mensen horen alleen wat ze willen horen’). NRC, 11 February 2021. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2021/02/11/mensen-horen-alleen-wat-ze-willen-horen-a4031440
6. Glenn N. Saxe, Daniel Calderone, and Leah J. Morales, Brain entropy and human intelligence: A resting-state fMRI study. PLoS ONE 13(2) 2018: e0191582. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191582
7. Esma Linnemann, Follow the voting guide? We vote based on a feeling, a smile, and out of habit (‘De stemwijzer volgen? We stemmen op gevoel, een glimlach, en uit gewoonte’). De Volkskrant 4 March 2021. https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/de-stemwijzer-volgen-we-stemmen-op-gevoel-een-glimlach-en-uit-gewoonte~b95b3dab/
8. Hans Bouman, interviewer, I hope to keep on realising that I received the Nobel prize for a handful of books, not more (Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘Hopelijk blijf ik beseffen dat ik de Nobelprijs heb gekregen voor een handvol boeken, en niet meer dan dat’). De Volkskrant, 5 March 2021. https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/kazuo-ishiguro-hopelijk-blijf-ik-beseffen-dat-ik-de-nobelprijs-heb-gekregen-voor-een-handvol-boeken-en-niet-meer-dan-dat~b89c2bcc/
9. André Klukhuhn, review of Surfaces and Essences by Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander. The Tables of Mozes aren’t side-tables (‘De tafelen van Mozes zijn geen bijzettafels’). Dutch daily newspaper NRC, 1 August 2014. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2014/08/01/de-tafelen-van-mozes-zijn-geen-bijzettafels-1404315-a1028011 Douglas Hofstadter is an American physicist and cognitive scientist; he is known for his 1979 book G?del, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, which won him a Pulitzer Prize. Emmanuel Sander is a French psychologist, a full professor, focusing on education
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14. Daniel T. Willingham, Why Don’t Students Like School?, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. / Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2009
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Note that we may only have about a decade: we’re currently all dancing on a volcano