Denial of the human race is often the reason behind environmental degradation. As humans consciously blocked that fact that human actions is the primarily cause of environmental degradation. This refusal to accept the truth and reality.
1) The denial is the planetary ecological crisis (human cause)
The outright denial of the destructive consequences of their actions is the automatic response of mainly corporations when faced with environmental regulations. Humans often categorically discard the reality of human actions in the result of global climatic change.
2) Denial that the ecological crisis is fundamentally due to the system of production- capitalism
Environmentalism persist that we can address the growing ecological problems without altering our relationship with the production process and having greener technology. However society will still remain in the essential course of destruction.
3) Denial that capitalism is capable of overcoming the global ecological threat
The environmental crisis is definitely as a result of the ideology of capitalism. However human still believe in the economic systems that is ingrained with capitalism is the most effective way in solving environmental problems, as it is believe that it is the most efficient form of economic system as it internalizes the cost of the environment. Hence the belief that capitalism can be sustainable, without the alteration of its need for capital accumulation, economic growth, power distribution or the breaking of social relations is a form of denial
In the People and the Planet Report 2012 by the Royal Society of London indicated that there is a need to develop socioeconomic system and institutions that are not dependent on continual material consumption growth. The system of capitalism is the underlying cause of extraordinary high rate of resource use leading to mismanagement of both renewable and non- renewable resource, and hence pollution of the earth, and social cost.
4) Denial that environmental destruction is caused by population over explosion
The dissociation from the socioeconomic system. Environmental impact=population * consumption * technology. This equation suggest that population growth, consumption habits of human and the inappropriate technology for conservation is the blame for environmental degradation.
Hence the main primary concerns of resource use because of overpopulation resulted in carrying out birth control programs in developing countries. However the real issue of environmental degradation has little to do with overpopulation.
David Harvey mention that the trouble with focusing on the problem of population has resulted in political implications. The over concern of over population has drifted from other important functions such as economic inequality. The inequality of wealth and income at the global level has striking effects on consumption patterns. About 10% of the world population has the highest incomes and are responsible for the problem of over consumption.
Hence from a global perspective the poor has little significant to the problem of resource use and pollution. The poorest 40% of the earth are estimated to consume less than 5% of natural resources and the poorest 20% about 1,4 billion people use less than 2% of the natural resource. Hence with the rich consuming that much of resource, lowering the population through birth control strategies is ineffective in dealing with environmental degradation.