Environmental law and psychology

The emerging field of environmental law and psychology uses research on the internal workings of the human mind (including on emotion, motivation, and cognition) to inform, explain, and improve how environmental behaviors are regulated. It is particularly concerned with how people perceive, process, and attach value to the environment, because those processes inform how, when, why, and how much the law protects the environment. After describing the current status of the field, alongside its relationship with law and economics, this chapter summarizes research suggesting that the diffuse, complex, and nonhuman qualities of many environmental harms present distinctive psychological challenges for environmental law, which seeks to manage those harms. It then explores the implications of psychological research for pollution control, climate change, ecosystem degradation, and international environmental law.