Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis

Neurosurgeon Duhaime debuts with a unique look at how to meaningfully address catastrophic climate change, asking “What is it about how the brain is designed to work that makes this problem difficult for us, and how can we best use that information to help move us in a more effective direction?” She charts the evolution of human intelligence, noting how cognition developed as a survival mechanism with certain behaviors related to rewards. But for incentives to be an effective motivator, she writes, a learned behavior must be linked to the reward—a requirement that’s tough to achieve in the context of gradual climate change, and which has been exacerbated by what she refers to as the 21st-century “acceleration of consumption,” which has played a disastrous role in accelerating climate change. But there is reason for hope: Duhaime cites the capacity for the human brain to shift perceptions about what’s important, and, as more and more people begin to prioritize climate change, Duhaime suggests that “reinforcement from like-minded individuals or organizations” can serve as a reward when tough eco-friendly lifestyle changes don’t. Duhaime’s original angle sets her work apart from the pack, and she easily translates complex neurology for nonspecialists. Climate-minded readers will find this full of insight. (Oct.)