Human behavior and environmental sustainability: Problems, driving forces, and research topics

Social and behavioral research is crucial for securing environmental sustainability and improving human living environments. To put the following articles into broader perspective, we first give an overview of worldwide developments in environmental quality and trends in resource use. Second, five general driving forces of global environmental change are distinguished: population, affluence, technology, institutions, and culture; these are considered in view of critical transitions in the evolution of human society. Third, inspired by a four-stage model approach to common resource dilemmas, our introduction describes this issue's specific topics for research and policy support concerning environmental sustainability at different scale levels. Finally, the necessity of multidisciplinary collaboration and desirable developments in environmental psychology are discussed.