{"id":296182,"date":"2024-01-17T11:28:43","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T10:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=296182"},"modified":"2024-01-17T11:28:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T10:28:45","slug":"claim-socially-engineered-greed-stops-renewables-from-solving-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=296182","title":{"rendered":"Claim: Socially Engineered Greed Stops Renewables from Solving Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by Eric Worrall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich nation consumers who have been deceived by clever marketing into demanding material wealth and modern conveniences are stopping greens from saving the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Human \u2018behavioural crisis\u2019 at root of climate breakdown, say scientists<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New paper claims unless demand for resources is reduced, many other innovations are just a sticking plaster<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Donald
Sat 13 Jan 2024 23.00 AEDT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve socially engineered ourselves the way we geoengineered the planet,\u201d says Joseph Merz, lead author of a new paper<\/a> which proposes that climate breakdown is a symptom of ecological overshoot, which in turn is caused by the deliberate exploitation of human behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to become mindful of the way we\u2019re being manipulated,<\/strong>\u201d says Merz, who is co-founder of the Merz Institute, an organisation that researches the systemic causes of the climate crisis and how to tackle them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They claim that unless demand for resources is reduced, many other innovations are just a sticking plaster. \u201cWe can deal with climate change and worsen overshoot,\u201d says Merz. \u201cThe material footprint of renewable energy is dangerously underdiscussed. These energy farms have to be rebuilt every few decades \u2013 they\u2019re not going to solve the bigger problem unless we tackle demand.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about replacing what people are trying to signal, what they\u2019re trying to say about themselves. Right now, our signals have a really high material footprint<\/strong> \u2013our clothes are linked to status and wealth, their materials sourced from all over the world, shipped to south-east Asia most often and then shipped here, only to be replaced by next season\u2019s trends. The things that humans can attach status to are so fluid, we could be replacing all of it with things that essentially have no material footprint \u2013 or even better, have an ecologically positive one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/jan\/13\/human-behavioural-crisis-at-root-of-climate-breakdown-say-scientists<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The abstract of the paper;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

World scientists\u2019 warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph J Merz, Phoebe Barnard, William E Rees, Dane Smith, Mat Maroni, Christopher J Rhodes, Julia H Dederer, Nandita Bajaj, Michael K Joy, Thomas Wiedmann, Rory Sutherland<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, anthropogenic ecological overshoot has been identified as a fundamental cause of the myriad symptoms we see around the globe today from biodiversity loss and ocean acidification to the disturbing rise in novel entities and climate change. In the present paper, we have examined this more deeply, and explore the behavioural drivers of overshoot, providing evidence that overshoot is itself a symptom of a deeper, more subversive modern crisis of human behaviour. We work to name and frame this crisis as \u2018the Human Behavioural Crisis\u2019 and propose the crisis be recognised globally as a critical intervention point for tackling ecological overshoot. We demonstrate how current interventions are largely physical, resource intensive, slow-moving and focused on addressing the symptoms of ecological overshoot (such as climate change) rather than the distal cause (maladaptive behaviours). We argue that even in the best-case scenarios, symptom-level interventions are unlikely to avoid catastrophe or achieve more than ephemeral progress. We explore three drivers of the behavioural crisis in depth: economic growth; marketing; and pronatalism.<\/strong> These three drivers directly impact the three \u2018levers\u2019 of overshoot: consumption, waste and population. We demonstrate how the maladaptive behaviours of overshoot stemming from these three drivers have been catalysed and perpetuated by the intentional exploitation of previously adaptive human impulses. In the final sections of this paper, we propose an interdisciplinary emergency response to the behavioural crisis by, amongst other things, the shifting of social norms relating to reproduction, consumption and waste. We seek to highlight a critical disconnect that is an ongoing societal gulf in communication between those that know such as scientists working within limits to growth, and those members of the citizenry, largely influenced by social scientists and industry, that must act.Read more: https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00368504231201372<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What a hideously misanthropic vision of the future. Why should we give up one iota of all the consumerist toys we have created? Why should we give up having however many children we want, when there is plenty for all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least the study authors are honest about the immense material footprint of renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuclear power is not subject to these kinds of green limitations. France runs a modern, consumerist economy which derives just under 70% of its electricity from zero carbon nuclear. Even if reducing CO2 emissions turns out to be necessary, by embracing nuclear we could create a zero carbon economy which doesn\u2019t involve people learning to love wearing rags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even better, nuclear energy will eventually open the way to retrieving an effectively endless supply of resources from non-terrestrial sources, when we finally exhaust Earth\u2019s resources. Space drives of immense power such as Nuclear Thermal Propulsion<\/a> and Project Orion<\/a> (enough power for a manned starship, let alone an interplanetary transport) could make science fiction levels of non-terrestrial extractive industries economically viable \u2013 an option for resource acquisition and exploitation this sad green vision of the future will never deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no limits to growth, other than those we choose to impose on ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rich nation consumers who have been deceived by clever marketing into demanding material wealth and modern conveniences are stopping greens from saving the planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":296184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Rich nation consumers who have been deceived by clever marketing into demanding material wealth and modern conveniences are stopping greens from saving the planet.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691818076,691826331,691826330,691819094],"class_list":{"0":"post-296182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-co2","10":"tag-merz-institute","11":"tag-new-paper-claims","12":"tag-renewable-green-energy","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-292.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1f38","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":407475,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=407475","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":0},"title":"World Bank\u2019s foolish climate fantasies hurt the poor- The US can Stopp this","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"After the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, the World Bank declared a perilous \u201cnew course,\u201d vowing to lead\u00a0the way on green financing.","rel":"","context":"In \"climate alarmism\"","block_context":{"text":"climate alarmism","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-alarmism"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-10-133920.png?fit=1200%2C656&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-10-133920.png?fit=1200%2C656&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-10-133920.png?fit=1200%2C656&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-10-133920.png?fit=1200%2C656&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-10-133920.png?fit=1200%2C656&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":259041,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=259041","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":1},"title":"The EU\u00b4s Net Zero obsession will make Europe poorer, colder and darker.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this month, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen hailed the \u2018amazing progress\u2019 being made by the EU\u2019s Green Deal legislation. It is a funny kind of progress, however.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0874906_XXL.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0874906_XXL.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0874906_XXL.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0874906_XXL.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0874906_XXL.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":283267,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=283267","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":2},"title":"Net Zero Watch calls for a clearout at the Climate Change Committee","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Net Zero Watch stand up against green and dangerous nightmares. London, 13 October \u2013 Campaign group Net Zero Watch has called for a management clearout at the Climate Change Committee (CCC), accusing it of \u2018shameless\u2019 deceit over the costs of Net Zero. The CCC yesterday criticised the Prime Minister\u2019s delay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Change Committee\u2019s (CCC)\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Change Committee\u2019s (CCC)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change-committees-ccc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/00b049bc6f7a2e303f78be69d62a2253df.jpg?fit=1200%2C1174&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/00b049bc6f7a2e303f78be69d62a2253df.jpg?fit=1200%2C1174&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/00b049bc6f7a2e303f78be69d62a2253df.jpg?fit=1200%2C1174&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/00b049bc6f7a2e303f78be69d62a2253df.jpg?fit=1200%2C1174&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/00b049bc6f7a2e303f78be69d62a2253df.jpg?fit=1200%2C1174&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":275363,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=275363","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":3},"title":"L A Times Hypes \u201cGreen China\u201d the World\u2019s Champ of Global Coal Use & CO2 Emissions While Demanding U.S. Declare a \u201cClimate Emergency\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"L A Times Hypes \u201cGreen China\u201d the World\u2019s Champ of Global Coal Use & CO2 Emissions While Demanding U.S. Declare a \u201cClimate Emergency\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-929.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-929.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-929.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-929.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-929.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":207619,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=207619","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":4},"title":"How Cynical Elites Have Wrecked Energy Supplies & Ruined Your Economic Future","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/07\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The attack on our reliable and affordable energy supplies is part treason and part act of war. Internal forces openly conspire to promote the interests of crony capitalists at the expense of the ambitious working class. External forces do the same, but at a grandstanding global level, pressuring and shaming\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0extinction-rebellion.jpg?fit=1200%2C774&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0extinction-rebellion.jpg?fit=1200%2C774&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0extinction-rebellion.jpg?fit=1200%2C774&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0extinction-rebellion.jpg?fit=1200%2C774&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0extinction-rebellion.jpg?fit=1200%2C774&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":242422,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=242422","url_meta":{"origin":296182,"position":5},"title":"Zurich Considers Insurance Premium Discounts to Reward Climate Action","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"31\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Insurers may cut premiums for climate action: Zurich chair Summerhayes","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1333.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1333.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1333.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1333.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1333.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=296182"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":296185,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296182\/revisions\/296185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/296184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=296182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=296182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=296182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}