We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words. (Ursula Le Guin)
Sorry to disappoint you, but when it comes to climate change, the human brain hasn’t evolved sufficiently to make the necessary large-scale changes to avert climate catastrophe.
Like the neighborhoods of an old city, our brains have evolved in a patchwork manner, layer upon layer. In older cities, as conditions changed and the economic fortunes of some improved, the lucky ones were able to build and maintain their residences. Meanwhile, the less fortunate had to leave and live elsewhere. No city planning involved. The remaining structures were built to last and repurposed by their inhabitants, who adapted to societal disruptions in order to survive and thrive. Natural selection at work. The gentrification of neighborhoods today demonstrates the evolution of cityscapes.
Similarly, over a much longer period of time, the human brain evolved to adapt to changing environments and exploit niches that allowed for reproduction.
Our reptilian brain, located at the base of our skulls, is responsible for regulating vital bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, and temperature. It also manages automatic, self-preserving behavior patterns and basic social communication.
The mammalian brain, grafted upon the reptilian brain, corresponds biologically to the limbic system. It is primarily responsible for emotional processing, social behaviors, and memory functions. It evolved after the reptilian brain and is more prominent in mammals.
Lastly, humans evolved a neocortex, which enables creative endeavors, moral reasoning, and long-term planning. This provides a foundation for culture, science, and advanced social interaction. This part of the brain enables conscious thought processes that can override more primitive instincts and emotional responses governed by the reptilian brain and limbic system.
Although it is a somewhat oversimplified model of how the human brain evolved, the triune brain functions quite well as a metaphor, pointing to the glaring challenge that humans face when trying to come to grips with the possibility that humanity’s collective actions might bring about its own demise.
In other words, as a species we know cognitively that we are screwing up, but we can’t muster the willpower to change because our reptilian brain doesn’t interpret the situation as an immediate threat to survival. This means there is no fight-or-flight response, and our limbic system cannot generate sufficient emotional energy to bring about the required behavioral changes.
Consequently, the neocortex of the Western world, particularly the prefrontal cortex, prioritizes the immediate rewards of a business-as-usual approach in perceived normal circumstances. Given the potential risk posed by catastrophic climate change, we should refer to this phenomenon as hypernormalisation.
Sound familiar? Have we seen this before in recent history?
We have.
Alexei Yurchak, a Russian-born anthropology professor, coined the term “hypernormalisation” to describe the paradoxes of Soviet life during the 1970s and 1980s. Put simply, everyone in the Soviet Union knew the system was failing, yet no one could envision an alternative to the status quo. Both politicians and citizens were resigned to maintaining the pretense of a functioning society. Eventually, this mass delusion became a self-fulfilling prophecy. With the exception of a small group of dissidents, this became the new normal for most of the Soviet population.
For the most part, people in the former Soviet Union could live day-to-day without facing an immediate threat to their survival. In fact, openly opposing the system posed a greater threat to survival than living with impoverishment and political oppression.
However, some critics, such as filmmaker Adam Curtis, assert that the concept of hypernormalisation applies equally to the West’s decades-long slide into authoritarianism, including Donald Trump’s 2.0 reign.
Personally, I don’t think the term applies to the current situation in the United States. The US is a large, diverse, and polarized nation. Millions of Americans do not believe they are living in a functioning society. They are fighting hypernormalisation through the courts and by protesting in the streets.
I wish this were the case with regard to climate change and the risk of climate catastrophe.
Although the dynamics of climate change hypernormalisation differ greatly from those that occurred in the former Soviet Union, the end result is similar. Today, only outliers and neurodivergents can imagine a different socioeconomic reality in which life on Earth is not in danger and to be prepared to act.
I would venture to say that at least 80% of people in the West are aware of the risks of climate change. However, rather than confronting this inconvenient truth, they prefer to continue living in the new normal.
They witness repeated reports of extreme weather events while maintaining the fantasy that their comfortable lifestyles can continue indefinitely, like lifelong smokers who are diagnosed with lung cancer but refuse to quit.
In my opinion, humanity’s addiction to the material pleasures derived from unabated consumption of fossil fuels and exponential growth carries a similar prognosis.
If you’re still reading or listening, then I’m sure you understood the last sentence. It may have made some of you uncomfortable, but almost without exception, your fight-or-flight response was not activated.
Therein lies the problem.
Our Paleolithic brains are mismatched to our current environment. For instance, our stress response is designed to address temporary threats, not chronic, stress-inducing situations. However, modern life often involves chronic stress, which can lead to illness and premature death.
Furthermore, our brains and bodies are not equipped to handle today’s information overload, rapid changes, and uncertain future. As a result, depression and anxiety are at record highs, particularly among younger generations. For most people, the thought of taking action against what seems like an insurmountable problem is unthinkable.
The problem is made worse by dopaminergic addictions throughout society. On the one hand, we have financial elites who can never get enough. They are fixated on extracting more natural and human resources for monetization so they can accumulate more wealth and fuel their conspicuous consumption.
The rest of society struggles to maintain their level of material comfort rather than reduce their consumption. They are victims of the corporate consumerism complex, which knows all too well how to manipulate our dopamine-driven reward pathways.
Sometimes, I think only neurodivergent people grasp the gravity of the situation. Take Greta Thunberg, for example. The young Swedish neurodivergent climate and political activist was able to see through all the excuses her elders used to justify their inaction when it came to tackling climate change. In her famous address at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, she scolded world leaders for their perceived indifference and inaction regarding the climate crisis:
How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
When it comes to climate change, the emperor has no clothes. It takes someone like Greta, whose mind isn’t dominated by the modern mindset, to point that out without fear of recrimination.
The rest of us are sympathetic to varying degrees, but we simply do not perceive the threat as significant or urgent enough to require immediate behavioral changes. The long-term threat is not salient. It does not register.
In fact, it’s the opposite. Typically, a prefrontal cortex embedded in Western culture cannot justify stepping outside our societal norms for actions that benefit other species and the planet, actions that are not focused on bringing immediate rewards to the individual and might actually harm one’s ability to acquire material wealth.
In the calculus of the rational maximization of self-interest, becoming a climate change activist is a bad career move.
Moreover, we have become so addicted to our pursuit of material pleasure that our minds balk at the very idea of living differently. Those who do are considered “woke,” “tree huggers,” or under the influence of the mind-altering practices of indigenous peoples.
Why rock the boat? Go with the flow? Wait for the technological fix. In other words, the function of the neurotypical prefrontal cortex embedded in the Western world is to override the signals that, if acted upon, might disrupt the flow of dopamine through the reward pathways and the corresponding pleasures that modern life can and most often delivers if you play the game by the agreed-upon rules.
Given the hegemony of the Western mindset, it seems very unlikely to me that we will escape the ontological hold that its inherent set of beliefs has on humanity. Over time, we will simply adjust the best we can to the ever-increasing disruptions to our “normal” lives that climate change will inevitably bring.
What appears to be the greatest crime against humanity and other life forms on the planet is our decision to transfer the problem of cleaning up the mess to future generations while simultaneously diminishing their ability to rise to the challenge.
We need more Greta Thunbergs in this world if we are to avert the looming collapse and massive extinctions that await.
