How we lie to ourselves

Our 3 favorite excuses when it comes to climate protection

Climate protection: the need of the hour to protect our natural environment. But why don't we do more?(Bild: Michael Meusburger /Bregenzerwald Tourismus)

Thomas Brudermann is a business psychologist and sustainability researcher. On Thursday, he will be a guest at the ClimateDialog in Bregenz. He told the "Krone" in advance which excuses prevent us from doing more for the climate.

"Krone": You have published the book "Die Kunst der Ausrede. Why we prefer to deceive ourselves instead of living in a climate-friendlyway", which deals with excuses that prevent us from acting in a more climate-friendly way. From a purely psychological point of view: How does the excuse strategy benefit us humans?
Thomas Brudermann: The great thing about excuses is that we can maintain our personal self-image. If reality and the demands we place on ourselves diverge, the excuse is a good way out. Because with the excuse, I don't have to admit to myself that climate protection isn't that important to me - and I don't have to change my behavior either. So it's very convenient.