As Human Beings We Destroy Nature, but We Never Fully Realize the Extent of the Damage and Loss

Audrey Garric · Le Monde · April 14, 2022

Featuring Peter Kahn, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member

Mr. Kahn is a professor in the Department of Psychology and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington and director of a laboratory that conducts research on human interactions with nature and technology. He calls for a rethinking of our relationship with nature and with other humans in order to solve the climate crisis.

Scientists have been warning us about the environmental crisis for decades; its impact is worsening all over the world and yet, mobilization remains minimal. Why don’t we act in accordance with the severity of the problem?

There are many reasons that contribute to this: people’s focus on the short term and their seemingly endless desire for consumption; big business, where their business models profit from environmental damage and sometimes contribute to misinformation; divisive politics, where group identities are built around skepticism towards science in general, and climate science more particularly. There is also the blame game. Or putting off the effort until later, like a drug addict who puts off detox until tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. Finally, there is the problem of environmental generational amnesia.