Psychological dimensions of sustainability: minding the future from a human-ecological perspective

Sustainability ideas are growing and maturing at many levels worldwide. They have inspired interdisciplinary research, redefined educational institutions, and informed a multitude of planning, management, and decision-making contexts. The concept of sustainability has a specific history with roots in economic development, international affairs, environmental conservation, human health and individual well-being. Beyond the somewhat contemporaneous goals of sustainability, however, there is also the much longer history of natural and human ecology - as exploratory and applied fields - which likewise have struggled with the coupling of scientific-ecological knowledge and human decision-making. The aim of this paper is to recount the respective origins and development of these two domains; to emphasize the centrality of human attitudinal and behavioral change in achieving a livable future; and to highlight some long-standing difficulties and promising developments at the confluence of psychological self-awareness, ecological knowledge and sustainability principles.