Mind the Gap (1/2): Environmental Behavior and Observed Consequences
The Disconnect
From an early age, negative behavior is followed by a negative consequence. Misbehave in class, get detention. Steal something, get arrested. Drink too much and wake up with a hangover. In each case, we can directly attribute the negative consequence we receive to our own negative behavior.
However, when it comes to our behavior and the environment, there is a disconnect between our behavior and the perceived consequences. The temperature doesn’t increase by 10 °C every time you drive to work instead of walking. There isn’t an immediate outbreak of MRSA every time you don’t finish a course of antibiotics and discard the unwanted tablets in the bin [1].
This disconnect between behavior and consequence is deepened further, as the greatest emitters of CO2 are not the ones that bear the brunt of the consequences. As the developed world continues to damage the environment, it is the developing world that is disproportionately affected [2].
"If we change our behavior, such as walking to work, or buying environmentally friendly products, there is no observable change to the environmental outcome. If there is no observable benefit to individual green behavior, how can we motivate individual consumers to behave in an environmentally responsible manner?"
Given the sheer scale of emissions and waste, the environmental benefit of ‘green behavior will only be noticeable if a sizeable number of individuals engage in the same green behavior [3]. In order to observe the benefits of green behavior, green behavior has to become the social norm.
References
[1] Lubick, N., Drugs in the Environment: Do Pharmaceutical Take-Back Programs Make a Difference? Environmental Health Perspectives 2010, 118 (5), A210-A214.
[2] Bawden, T., COP21: Richest 10 per cent ‘produce half the world’s CO2 emissions’. The Independent: 2015.
[3] Jos G.J. Olivier, G. J.-M.; Marilena Muntean, J. A. H. W. P., Trends In Global CO2 Emissions. PBL Netherlands Enviromental Assessment Agency 2016.
[4] Asch, S. E., Studies of Independence and Conformity: A Minority of One Against a Unanimous Majority. Psychological Monographs 1956, 70 (9), 117-190.
[5] Cialdini, R. B.; Reno, R. R.; Kallgren, C. A., A focus theory of normative conduct: Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1990, 58 (6), 1015-1026.
[6]Goldstein, N.; J; Cialdini, R.;; Griskevicius, V., A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels. Journal of Consumer Research 2008, 35 (3), 472-482.
About the Author
Tim Douglas
Tim is a PhD student at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. Tim has an MSci in chemistry, also from the University of Nottingham, where he conducted research for GlaxoSmithKline. He is interested in utilizing behavioral science to foster sustainable consumption patterns.
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