Ecological empathy


Ecological empathy, or eco-empathy, is empathy directed towards the natural world. It encompasses empathy directed towards animals, plants, ecosystems, and the earth as a whole.
Kim-Pong Tam developed a method of measuring individuals' dispositional empathy with nature, and has demonstrated its robust connection to conservation behavior.
Numerous strategies can be implemented to cultivate ecological empathy—in both children and adults—including environmental education, ecopedagogy, arts, literature, film, future scenarios, ecological storytelling, Indigenous approaches, and parenting practices.
Empathy for animals is a central component of eco-empathy, and effective programs have been developed to promote empathy towards animals in the home, in zoos and aquariums, on the farm, and in the wild.

Definitions

As defined by Wang et al., "Empathy with nature means acknowledging the needs of animals, nature in general, and the importance of their survival, as well as showing interest in their well-being,". Ecological empathy overlaps with nature connectedness, and can be understood as the ability to connect with nature, both cognitively and affectively.

Distinctions between ecological empathy and other concepts

Ecological empathy is related to, but distinct from, the concepts of biophilia, ecological grief, and solastalgia.
The biophilia hypothesis holds that humans possess an innate love of nature and a drive to connect with the natural world. Biophilia refers to our affinity towards the natural world, whereas ecological empathy is our ability to feel empathy towards nature. Both are promoted by time spent in nature.
While ecological empathy is an experience of empathy for nature, ecological grief is the sadness that arises when one learns about environmental degradation and climate change. Related to ecological grief is solastalgia—a term coined by Glenn Albrecht to describe the distress caused by changes to one's environment while one is living in that environment It refers to the experience of current climate-related events While ecological grief and solastalgia solely involve negative emotions related to nature, ecological empathy is about feeling the emotions of the natural world—either positive or negative.

Measurement

Ecological empathy can be assessed in various ways, and several scales have been created to assess individuals' connection with and attitudes towards nature.

Dispositional Empathy with Nature (DEN) scale

Kim-Pong Tam developed the Dispositional Empathy with Nature scale, adapted from the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, The DEN scale has been used by psychologists and educators in a variety of contexts since it was developed, to measure empathy towards nature in both students and adults, and has been translated and used internationally.
Sample items of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature scale include:
  • I imagine how I would feel if I were the suffering animals and plants.
  • I try to understand how the suffering animals and plants feel by imagining how things look from their perspective.
  • I visualize in my mind clearly and vividly how the suffering animals and plants feel in their situation.
  • ''I have tender, concerned feelings for the suffering animals and plants.''

    Emotional Affinity Toward Nature scale

Kals and colleagues designed the Emotional Affinity Toward Nature scale to measure individuals' affinity with and connection to the natural world. The scale contains three constructs, measuring participants' behavior, emotions about nature, and experiences in nature—respectively. The scale has been used in the fields of psychology and education—primarily to assess students' affinity toward nature, but has been used for adults as well. Sample items from each construct include:
  • : I am willing to take steps in my own house-hold for the protection of natural resources .
  • : If I spend time in nature today, I feel a deep feeling of love toward nature.
  • : ''Nowadays, I spend a lot of time in nature.''

    Environmental Attitudes Inventory (EAI)

Milfont & Duckitt designed The Environmental Attitudes Inventory to measure participants' feelings, connection with, and attitudes about nature. The scale has been used internationally to measure students' attitudes towards the environment, and has also been adapted and optimized in various contexts. The inventory has twelve scales, each of which contains ten survey items :
  1. Enjoyment of nature
  2. Support for interventionist conservation policies
  3. Environmental movement activism
  4. Conservation motivated by anthropocentric concern
  5. Confidence in science and technology
  6. Environmental threat
  7. Altering nature
  8. Personal conservation behaviour
  9. Human dominance over nature
  10. Human utilization of nature
  11. Eco-centric concern
  12. Support for population growth policies

    Connectedness to nature scale

The connectedness to nature scale designed by Mayer and Franz is a scale to measure individuals' sense of connection with nature. The tool has been used primarily by psychologists and has been translated into other languages, including Cantonese and French for use in international contexts. Sample items include:
  • I often feel a sense of oneness with the natural world around me.
  • I recognize and appreciate the intelligence of other living organisms
  • I often feel a kinship with animals and plants.
  • ''I often feel like I am only a small part of the natural world around me, and that I am no more important than the grass on the ground or the birds in the trees.''

    Connection to conservation behavior

Across a number of studies, higher rates of ecological empathy have been found to correlate with increased conservation attitudes and behavior.
Tam found that dispositional empathy with nature robustly predicted both public and private conservation behavior.
Ienna and colleagues in their study of 878 participants found that both empathy and knowledge of environmental issues predicted pro-environmental attitudes and behavior; though verifiable knowledge was a stronger predictor. The authors also found a dissociation between cognitive and affective empathy—while affective empathy was found to predict attitudes but not behavior, cognitive empathy predicted both. This finding aligned with the authors' prediction that cognitive empathy would influence behavior in a similar way as knowledge.
Wang and colleagues found that inducing empathy for nature led to increased pro-environmental behaviors. For individuals with independent self-construal, however, higher empathy with nature did not lead to such behaviors. The study found that empathy towards nature led participants to make a commitment to the environment, which in turn prompted increased environmental behavior.
Based on Daniel Batson's Model of Altruism, Jaime Berenguer designed a study to test the effects of empathy on moral reasoning. Participants who were prompted to practice empathy when reading a passage about an environmental dilemma were able to construct significantly more moral arguments for their positions than those in the neutral condition.
Ecological empathy has also been assessed in corporate settings. Islam and colleagues found that employees with high levels of empathy demonstrated more pro-environmental and conservation behavior, as well as higher levels of identification with their workplace in connection with its pro-environmental policies.
Gary Lynne and colleagues found that "empathy nudging", when combined with financial incentives, can have a powerful impact on farmers' business decisions regarding sustainable agriculture. This is especially true for those who are initially low in conservation practices.
Factors such as place and identity mediate the role of empathy in conservation behaviors. Empathy will predict environmental actions only to the extent that it is able to transcend outgroup differences and geographic distance.

Individual differences

As with empathy generally, individuals vary in their ability and willingness to practice ecological empathy.
Tam has defined the construct of Dispositional Empathy with Nature to describe "the dispositional tendency to understand and share the emotional experience of the natural world,. Tam has developed and validated an instrument for assessing DEN and found that, across five studies with over eight hundred participants, DEN predicted conservation behavior.
Across the literature, gender is found to be a mediating factor for empathy, with girls displaying greater ability and motivation to practice empathy.

Methods of cultivation

Empathy is teachable, and numerous educational programs and interventions have been developed to foster ecological empathy, in both youth and adults.

Environmental education

is a broad, multidisciplinary field that supports students' engagement with nature, understanding of ecological systems, exploration of complex environmental problems, and the development of habits, lifestyles, and actions that promote conservation.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions".
The EPA lays out the following components of environmental education:
  • Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental challenges
  • Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental challenges
  • Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or maintain environmental quality
  • Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges
  • Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental challenges
David Sobel argues that environmental education should be focused on empathy between the ages of four and seven, as children in this age range have less of a distinction between "self" and "other" and can more easily empathize with others.
Sobel encourages educators and parents to foster a love of nature by letting children engage in wild play—getting dirty, climbing trees, building forts, and immersing themselves in the natural world. He critiques environmental education which focus too much on rules and the cultivation of systemic knowledge, and argues that "Nature programs should invite children to make mud pies, climb trees, catch frogs, paint their faces with charcoal, get their hands dirty and their feet wet. They should be allowed to go off the trail and have fun".
Sobel calls for parents and educators to focus on fostering a connection with and love of nature first and foremost. In Beyond Ecophobia. Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education, Sobel argues, "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it."