Sustainability, Collective Self-Regulation, and Human-Nature Interdependence

Area of Science:

• Social-ecological systems
• Sustainability science
• Environmental psychology

Background:

• Humanity's niche construction in the Anthropocene poses planetary risks.
• The core challenge of sustainability lies in collective self-regulation of human-nature interactions.
• Understanding human-nature interdependence is crucial for coordinated action.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a theoretical framework on causal knowledge for sustainability.
• To review empirical research on human-nature interdependence and climate change.
• To identify future research needs in collective self-regulation for sustainability.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical framework development.
• Literature review of empirical research on climate change and social-ecological systems.
• Analysis of causal knowledge in collective action for sustainability.

Main Results:

• Accurate causal knowledge about social-ecological systems is essential for collective self-regulation.
• Human-nature interdependence knowledge is critical for coordinating actions and avoiding free-riding.
• Existing research primarily focuses on climate change, highlighting a need for broader investigation.

Conclusions:

• Collective self-regulation for sustainability requires shared causal knowledge of human-nature interdependence.
• Cognizing, communicating, and sharing this knowledge are vital for addressing global environmental challenges.
• Further research is needed to fully understand and implement causal knowledge in sustainability efforts.