The ecological crisis and self-delusion: implications for the building sector

The world is on the brink of an unprecedented growth-related ecological crisis that could well undermine prospects for global civilization. Nevertheless, the global community seems ‘in flight from thinking’ about the implications of the threat and unwilling to contemplate the policy remedies necessary to change the course of history. Biological and cultural factors combine to inhibit clear understanding and effective corrective action. Mainstream ‘solutions’ – hybrid cars, green buildings, smart growth, the new urbanism – are thus rooted in denial and delusional. These approaches do not address the fundamental problem of ‘overshoot’, but rather attempt to maintain the growth-bound status quo through efficiency gains and related technological ‘fixes’. This might actually worsen the situation. Achieving sustainability requires that such marginal reform give way to a complete rethink of society’s relationship with nature. Developed societies need a new, more adaptive cultural mythology. The building sector arguably has greater material leverage in reducing the human ecological footprint than any other major industrial sector. Acceptance of the guidelines developed in this paper would revolutionize the industry and reorient it geographically. The question is: does the industry have the intellectual courage and practical momentum to assume a lead role in the sustainability campaign? Keywords: behaviour, built environment, climate change, cognitive behaviour, cultural narratives, ecological overshoot, sustainable development