214 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2017
    1. existential threats

      Mortality; literally, threats to our existence.

    2. may prompt unconscious and deeply uncomfortable fears of death

      The "Terror Management Theory" states that any information that makes us aware of our own mortality provokes profound anxiety. Perhaps not surprisingly, we don't like to think about dying.

    3. stymied

      Blocked, thwarted.

    4. in the absence of enforceable limits on who can access the resource

      For instance, if power companies regulated the amount of daily electricity that each household could use, or individuals were allotted a specific amount of gasoline each month, then a regulatory body like the government could control resource use. It is likely that people would quickly learn to conserve and use the resource more efficiently.

    5. curtail

      Inhibit, reduce.

    6. between “significant life experiences” in nature during childhood and later environmental advocacy

      Children whose parents modeled respect and appreciation for nature, or those who hiked, camped, or otherwise interacted with "the great outdoors" often grow up with a concern for environmental protection.

    7. industrialization

      The Industrial Revolution about 200 years ago introduced factories, various chemical processes, and other technologies that altered society and our relationship with the natural world.

    8. reticent

      Reluctant or slow.

    9. contingency trap

      The conflict between short- and long-term interests. Short-term benefits usually outweigh long-term costs, and short- term costs often discourage action, even when it would lead to long-term benefits.

    10. anthropogenic

      Human-caused.

    11. surrounding infrastructure

      Facilities and systems. For example, public transit is more energy efficient than driving personal cars, but many communities don't have bus or train service.

    12. social milieu

      The social and cultural context; i.e., what other people are doing.

    13. counterproductive

      Actions that oppose a goal.

    14. counterintuitive

      Not what you would expect.