Ethics as a Missing Link Between Human Happiness and Environmental Sustainability

This pilot study offers an integrative interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of complex relationships between happiness and sustainability through the lenses of environmental ethics. A significant body of multi-disciplinary scholarly literature suggests that people are happier when they enjoy access to nature and a sustainable environment. It is unclear, however, if human happiness contributes to positive attitudes towards environmental sustainability. Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigate how self-reported happiness might be linked to access to nature, environmental concerns, and ethical values. Primary data collection involved in-person surveys of park visitors and in-depth semi-structured interviews with environmental and well-being professionals. The majority of the participants involved in the study reported feeling happier while being in nature and/or actively engaged in sustainable practices. Participants expressed their deep concerns and sadness about the global state of the environment, but also joy from the opportunities to engage in climate action and education. This pilot study offers preliminary insights into methodological approaches to research on the nexus of human happiness, environmental sustainability, and ethics. Methods proposed in this paper can be replicated, adopted cross-culturally, and deployed in other future case studies.