Eco-I-O Psychology? Expanding Our Goals to Include Sustainability

Scientists report that global climate change is in motion, and we are only beginning to comprehend the disruption this will cause to our lives and the health of the planet. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we can expect global temperatures to increase between 1.6 and 8.1°F by 2100 (IPCC, 2001). Evidence points to human emissions of greenhouse gases as the primary cause, a consequence of the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of land. In some locales, the warming trend is already well-advanced. In Alaska and western Canada, for example, annual winter tem-peratures have increased 4–7°F in just 50 years (ACIA, 2004). Already, the reduction in sea ice has led to an increase in the rate of coastal erosion forc-ing recent evacuation of homes in Shishmaref, Alaska, and Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. Somewhat related to global temperature change is the increase in ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth’s surface. The cause of this UV increase is a depletion of stratospheric ozone brought about by release of chlorinated chemicals—another consequence of human activity. It is only