Our economy is driven by self interest. Companies and organizations across sectors act, and often do so in calculated measures, to fulfill an objective unique to a specific interest. Motive often initiates action and such action rarely defends and prioritizes the needs of our environment. How do we incentivize climate action? In order to lure in climate allies across sectors it is imperative that along with the buzz word of ‘climate action’ comes a reason to act more than just public approval from select constituents, clients, or consumers. Climate action needs to be marketable, attractive, and hold economic and financial appeal. It needs to hit at the heart of organizational pursuits. 

I’ve spent much of this week thinking about self interest and how it relates to undertaking climate action. I’ve come to the conclusion that tapping into an organizations self interest is the only way to broaden the climate action agenda. In our Climate Communications course (CALS502) we analyzed the importance of words and the immense meaning words can have in relation to driving and encouraging climate action. Words are what we all relate to. Language shapes our societies and how they operate. However, on a professional level, I can communicate much more proficiently with a climate scientist, activist, or leader than I can with those operating in the business sector or running large corporations, where I find emotion and passion for planetary welfare to be severely lacking. Financial motive, project output, outcome, and benefit are the objectives where social good or tackling the climate change crisis falls to the backburner. Economic self interest is the driving force behind organizational decision making and engaging in climate action needs to deliver results. We must rebrand climate action from an economic standpoint. That is how we move forward within the climate agenda. 

In addition, an aspect of self interest is driven by persuasion. In order to integrate climate action into an organization’s self interest, the representatives and decision makers of that organization must be persuaded to act for the climate. How can that be done? I am not well versed in the business world but I do know that organizations respond to numbers. The creation of a business case that shows numbers in favour of climate action will encourage more organizations to take that leap into the climate realm. 

In her article, Climate Change and Economic Self Interest, Julie Nelson discusses the idea of national economic self interest and its role in “achieving global sustainability” (Nelson, 2019, p. 114). She adds that, “moving towards cleaner technologies makes a country more competitive in the global economy…while also reducing problems at home such as health damaging levels of pollution”(Nelson, 2019, p. 113). Even at the national level do we see self interest as the dominant factor initiating action. Is saving the planet the reason a country participates in COP21? Not a chance. It’s in the best self interest of each nation to attend if they want to remain tongue in cheek with their competitors. It’s evident that across the board self interest is the motivator to act. Incentivizing climate action through economic means and gains seems to be the most logical path forward. In my heart, I wish we could all agree on the need to save our planet before it’s too late but our economy and world, unfortunately, doesn’t work that way. 

Self interest, outside of western colonial culture, is not as one sided and economically driven. Within Indigenous culture, the notion of self interest entails the well being of many, not a select few. It includes the welfare of people but also the land and the diverse lifeforms that inhabit it. The natural world is engrained in the self interest of the Indigenous world view. At the forefront of self interest is a co-beneficial relationship that exists due to respect and reciprocity. Kuokkanen (2006) adds that, “the understanding of the world which foregrounds human relationship with the natural environment…is manifested by gift[s]…given to the land as a recognition of its abundance” (pp. 255-256). In many ways, it feels unjust to even use the words ‘self interest’ when referring to the Indigenous perspective. It’s more fitting to use the words ‘collective interest’ or ‘communal interest,’ highlighting the core values found within Indigenous philosophy. Now just imagine if the economic self interest of our nations, corporations, and businesses was driven by a mutual desire to care for ‘self’ and the land in which we walk. 

Economic self interest has an immense role in encouraging climate action. We, as climate leaders, must find more innovative and unique ways to incentivize climate action and create business cases that organizations are willing to take on. 

References

Kuokkanen, R.  (2006).  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 Rodopi.  (pp. 251 – 271)

Nelson, J. (2019). Chapter 6: Climate change and economic self-interest. In Kanbur, R., & Shue, H. (Eds.). Climate justice:  Integrating economics and philosophy.  Oxford University Press.  (pp. 113- 122)