EP2. How the ‘Human Behavioral Crisis’ is Causing Ecological Overshoot
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In this episode, Brittany sits down with Joseph Merz, the founder and Chairman of the Merz Institute, to explore the connection between human behavior and the ecological overshoot.
Joseph provides profound insights into the Human Behavioral Crisis and explains how evolutionary behaviors that once benefited us have become detrimental in our crowded, modern world. They discuss the critical roles of economic growth, marketing, and pronatalism in exacerbating ecological challenges and why current technological solutions often fall short.
They discuss the limitations of awareness alone in driving change and explore the importance of shifting social norms and behaviors and Joseph emphasizes the need for effective behavioral interventions and an interdisciplinary emergency response to address the root causes of ecological overshoot rather than merely managing its symptoms.
Mentioned in the Episode:
World Scientists' Warning: The Behavioral Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot (Sage Journals)
Inequality Kills (Oxfam International)
Timestamp:
00:02:55 - Joseph Merz's Career Journey
00:11:29 - Inspiration Behind the Behavioral Crisis Paper
00:14:02 - Importance of Human Behavior in Ecological Issues
00:19:55 - Explanation of Human Behavioral Crisis
00:23:00 - Evolutionary Impulses and Marketing Exploitation
00:24:17 - Definition of Maladaptive Behaviors
00:25:54 - Evolutionary Behaviors Becoming Maladaptive
00:32:46 - Economic Growth, Marketing, and Pronatalism
00:34:09 - Marketing's Shift to Emotional Selling
00:42:02 - Evolutionary Perspective on Consumer Behavior
00:45:18 - Addressing Symptoms vs. Root Causes
00:48:00 - Influence of Affluent Behavior on Social Norms
00:50:46 - Technical Solutions vs. Behavioral Interventions
00:51:07 - Systemic Support for Symptom Management
00:52:40 - Challenges in Changing Consumer Behavior
Connect with Joseph:
Joseph is a seasoned entrepreneur and the Director and Chairman of the Merz Institute, which researches ecological overshoot from a behavioral science perspective.
He is also the lead author of the influential paper, "World Scientists' Warning: The Behavioural Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot"
