Can Saving the Climate for the Common Good Come From Self-Interest?
Self-interest is why most people go to work in the morning, and corporations exist. Capitalist economies are based on the principle that economic benefits are best derived when individuals or corporations act in self-interest. However, climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions primarily from burning fossil fuels and land changes in pursuing economic self-interest (IPCC, 2021). Conversely, a worldview that strives for the common good might avoid the problem of environmental destruction. For example, Indigenous Peoples’ cultural practices are based on respecting the environment and the planet’s inhabitants’ future well-being. Given that the climate crisis affects all of us and will require everyone to act to avert the worst outcomes (i.e., everybody working for the common good), I am doubtful that self-interest is the mechanism to achieve this.
Unfortunately, capitalistic economies based on self-interest lead to the market’s short changing social systems and the environment whenever it is expedient to do so. The problem is that the “fundamental nature of business is to maximize profits” (Nelson, 2018, p. 114) with little or minimal feedback on the damage that profit driven self-interest causes the planet. In fact, greed driven capitalists figured out early on that by accessing common resources for free and discharging waste into the environment for free, their corporations reap the benefits. Common resources are depleted in favour of self-interest as the environmental costs are shared by everyone, including later generations (Meadows, 2008). This tragedy of the commons is now costing all of us because pollution and resource extraction has caused climate change and biodiversity loss to such an extent that the stability of planetary systems are jeopardized (IPCC, 2022).
On the other hand, given the dire situation of the climate and environment, one would think that it would be in all our self-interest to act. As Julie Nelson (2018) points out, United Nations Climate Chief Christiana Figueres thought so too. Figueres reasoned that it was in countries’ national economic self-interest to support the Paris 2015 COP21 agreement. However, Nelson increased my doubts about self-interest as a driver of climate action by pointing out that self-interest leads to competition and perpetuates selfish behaviour. Selfish behaviour will not solve the global commons problem if the depletion of the commons is convenient, profitable, and socially acceptable (Meadows, 2008). Although governments are trying to change rules, set targets, and provide incentives to manage the commons, if self-interest underpins motivation, then the temptation to cheat remains (Nelson, 2018). What is needed to solve problems of the global commons are other human motivators or values such as commitment, honour, fairness, and respect (Nelson, 2018). These values can inspire people to act and do the right thing. Unfortunately, as Nelson points out, these values can be seen as feminist and, in the patriarchal capitalist system, also be marginalized. However, tremendous human efforts have been made based on higher values. Some societies are developed around higher values.
Rather than self-interest, Indigenous worldviews are based on reciprocity with nature and aim “to secure physical social and spiritual well-being of the individual, community, and the entire social order” (Kuokkanen, 2007, p. 265). I see the wisdom in such a self-sustaining system. The environment is not depleted or destroyed, and the goal is to perpetuate a thriving environment for future generations. Rather than humans being above and external to the world they live in, people feel a connection and a part of the world. This makes it harder and, in fact, foolhardy to operate from a place of self-interest.
Can the dominant economic culture change worldviews from “getting more” to “making it better”? It is difficult to know if climate change agreements, the UN sustainable development goals, global biodiversity frameworks and the declaration of rights for Indigenous Peoples will help to shift away from short-term self-interest as the goal, but I have to hope they will. These agreements and frameworks are an opportunity to appeal to higher values and to get organizations, communities, and nations to think about long-term outcomes and legacies.
As an individual working within an economic system founded on self-interest, I can use these agreements and frameworks to the planet’s advantage. The opportunity may come when I develop business cases for projects that include climate action or specifically for climate action. Typically, the business case will look at the technical solutions that could be applied to the climate change problem and provide cost-effective measures for the organization to invest in. However, there is an opportunity within the business case to include a benefit plan that is tied to the organization’s social values, research opportunities or long-term strategies (Herman & Siegelaub, 2009). I believe this is the opportunity to include consideration of environmental footprint, embodied carbon, health and well-being impacts, community benefits, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and climate adaptation solutions. Perhaps the business plan could help to establish a goal of regeneration. In this way, although the organization may be focused on self-interest, I can use the opportunity to appeal to higher moral values of the individuals within the organization to include decisions that will improve the planet rather than degrade it. Perhaps this will start to change the corporate culture from within.
Ultimately, the transformation needed to survive climate change will not come from any organization’s or community’s action but from all of us successfully achieving climate action goals. The more collaboration, collective learning, and sharing of resources and strategies, the more likely the planet will be a habitable place for humans. Climate action is a long-term, ongoing, team, community, and national effort unlikely to be sustained by short-term self-interest. Somehow we all must aspire to higher values.
Resources
Ahlefeldt, F. (n.d.). Common Good Market Thief. Illustration. Frits Ahlefeldt Shop
Herman, B. & Siegelaub, J.M. (2009). Is this really worth the effort? The need for a business case. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009 – North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/need-business-case-6730
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 3−32, https://doi:10.1017/9781009157896.001
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Summary for Policymakers. [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, M. Tignor, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 3–33, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.001.
Kuokkanen, R. (2007). The Logic of the Gift: Reclaiming Indigenous Peoples’ Philosophies. In Botz-Bornstein, T., & Hengelbrock, J. (Eds.). Re-ethnicizing the Minds? Cultural Revival in Contemporary Thought. Brill Ropodi. (p. 251-271).
Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in Systems: A Primer (D. Wright, Ed.). Chelsea Green Publishing. https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/thinking-in-systems/
Nelson, J. A. (2018). Climate Change and Economic Self-Interest (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198813248.003.0006
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