Introduction
To begin with, there is a strong necessity to emphasize that the issues of environmental preservation, as well as the environmental protection in general fully depend on the matters of the human attitude to these processes. Independently on the technologies and international conventions, the problem of the hazardous wastes and the pollution of the environment will not be resolved until people change their attitude towards these issues.
Psychology of Wastes
Originally, dwellers of the Earth got used to living by the principle that it is our task not to wait for the mercies from the nature, but to take them. This principle may be regarded as a root of all the environmental problems. Regardless of the natural processes, humans hunt rare animals, and exhaust natural resources. Poachers are engaged in deforestation, whale hunts; they hunt seals, which are in the Red Book, catch and kill tigers for fur, kill elephants for ivories etc. Even the average earthmen, who are far from poaching, deforestation, reserve exhausts make their own contribution to pollution and hazardous wastes. We use our cars, which provide the emissions of greenhouse gases. Even though engines with alternative fuels have already appeared, people chase the coolness and power of the engines, regardless of the greenhouse gas emissions. We often forget to close the valves in a bathroom, and indulge ourselves for hours in a bath or a shower, while some regions of the world suffer from droughts and lack of spring water.
Most people do not mind where they leave garbage. The forest clearings and places for picnics are often littered with alimentary and not only garbage after “tourists”. The city dumps are often polluting the groundwaters, which then poison birds and animals. Industrial wastes are disposed of off in lakes and oceans, polluting the water and killing sea flora and fauna. Anyway, the arguments are sufficient for changing the life views, and starting new life. North American Indians lived in accordance with the principle that humanity has not inherited the world from their ancestors. We just borrowed it from our descendants.
In accordance with environmental psychology, there is a strong necessity to emphasize that previously to signing the international conventions, protocols, and agreements, as well as implementing new technologies within the industrial objects, the governments of the concerned countries should pay particular attention to the communities and public. People should know that everyone can contribute to the problem of environmental protection. As Veitch and Arkkelin (2005) emphasized, the only thing that has changed for the history of civilizations, is nature, nevertheless, human nature stayed majorly the same. Consequently, if we do not change our views on the matters of environmental protection, littering, pollution, deforestation and other issues, global warming will become even more inevitable, the ozone hole will increase, and droughts, floods, hunger, pandemics and other disasters will become the real indicators of the approaching Apocalypse – the Apocalypse, which we have made ourselves. (Bell, 2000)
Conclusion
Finally, it should be emphasized that the link between the matters of environmental protection in the context of hazardous wastes and human psychology is direct. People should change their attitude towards nature, for the environmental protection was really effective.
References
Veitch, R., & Arkkelin, D. (1995). “Environmental psychology: An interdisciplinary perspective” Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Bell, A. (2000) “Environmental Psychology” Wadsworth Publishing; 5 edition