Sir, – I greatly enjoyed reading Prof Leo Casey’s very informative article on rationality and communicative versus instrumental learning in humans, in relation to climate change. (“The compelling case for adopting transformative learning in helping to address climate change”, Science and Climate, September 14th).
However, might I suggest that a major cause of the current inaction and prevarication in tackling climate change is based on a far simpler and basic learned human response to threats.
It is the fact that our ancestors never formed discussion groups around the campfire to strategise plans for dealing with possible wild animals stalking them half a century in the future.
Those people with the power to promote the necessary changes today will not be around to see the effects of their actions in 50 years and so lack any real incentives to enact change now. – Yours, etc,
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SEAN McGIBBON,
Kilkenny.
