Ecological transformation and the implications of spatial scale
- The need for socio-ecological transformation is shared as a normative goal by large sections of society, politics, business, and science. However, the transformation toward a climate-neutral and environmentally friendly way of life and economy is proceeding very slowly, and despite articulated consent, it is often met with open or concealed resistance or fails due to conscious or unconscious lethargy. As such, the radical and very much needed modifications fail to materialize. This chapter discusses the ambivalences that go along with ecological transformation and argues for taking into account the aspects of spatial distance and dimension. Five spatial dimensions of reluctance are identified herein. First, the increasingly critical discourse on globalization and the limited focus on national and regional spaces. Second, the global dimension of climate change and the temporal and spatial distances between its causes and consequences, which make it difficult to clearly recognizeThe need for socio-ecological transformation is shared as a normative goal by large sections of society, politics, business, and science. However, the transformation toward a climate-neutral and environmentally friendly way of life and economy is proceeding very slowly, and despite articulated consent, it is often met with open or concealed resistance or fails due to conscious or unconscious lethargy. As such, the radical and very much needed modifications fail to materialize. This chapter discusses the ambivalences that go along with ecological transformation and argues for taking into account the aspects of spatial distance and dimension. Five spatial dimensions of reluctance are identified herein. First, the increasingly critical discourse on globalization and the limited focus on national and regional spaces. Second, the global dimension of climate change and the temporal and spatial distances between its causes and consequences, which make it difficult to clearly recognize causalities and contribute to the avoidance of responsibility. Third, the scale of the group involved—the global community—and the lack of adequate institutions to solve the global climate and environmental crisis, which urgently requires cooperation and coordination. Fourth, the minor importance attributed to climate and environmental issues and the lack of empathy toward problems in far-distant regions. Fifth, the psychological distance that leads to perceiving climate change and its impacts as abstract and distant in space and time, which then results in not taking action—against one’s better knowledge.…

