scholarly journals Pro-environmental habits: An underexplored research agenda in sustainability science

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah Linder ◽  
Matteo Giusti ◽  
Karl Samuelsson ◽  
Stephan Barthel
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Leverage Point ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Holistic Understanding

AbstractHabits are the fundamental basis for many of our daily actions and can be powerful barriers to behavioural change. Still, habits are not included in most narratives, theories, and interventions applied to sustainable behaviour. One reason societies struggle to reach policy goals and people fail to change towards more pro-environmental lifestyles might be that many behaviours are now bound by strong habits that override knowledge and intentions to act. In this perspective article, we provide three arguments for why pro-environmental habits are a needed research agenda in sustainability science: (1) habit theory highlights how behaviour is heavily reliant on automatic processes, (2) the environmental context sets boundary conditions for behaviour, shape habits, and cues action responses, and (3) our habits and past behaviour shape our values and self-identity. These arguments highlight the transformative potential of looking at sustainable behaviours through a habit lens. We believe a research agenda on pro-environmental habits could generate a more holistic understanding of sustainable behaviours and complement today’s dominating approaches which emphasize reasoned decisions and intrinsic motivations such as values, norms, and intentions to understand and predict pro-environmental behaviour. We highlight evident knowledge gaps and practical benefits of considering habit theory to promote pro-environmental behaviours, and how habit architecture could be utilized as a strong leverage point when designing, modifying, and building urban environments.

scholarly journals Urban debates for climate change after the Kyoto Protocol

Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Tu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Studies ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Living Will ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Adaptation Processes

From the catalogue of environment-related publications in Urban Studies, this paper identifies and reviews 12 thought-provoking articles that have addressed the issue of climate changes and cities from complementary perspectives. It argues that to advance a holistic understanding of urban environmental issues it is necessary to embrace a broad multi-disciplinary approach, particularly as moving towards low carbon urban living will require integrated social, political and technical adaptation processes. Ultimately, the paper advances a forward-looking research agenda that extends beyond consideration of how to improve urban environmental performance to include evaluation of how urban consumers, firms and local government endeavour to achieve sustainable urban development.

Does vertical administrative integration of environmental monitoring at the provincial level effectively motivate firms to improve environmental behaviour in China?

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-566
Author(s):  
Yong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Financial Policies ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Adaptive Agent ◽  
Behaviour Simulation

A few cities and provinces in China have implemented vertical administrative integration of environmental monitoring to the provincial level as a response to severe environmental pollution. This study used an adaptive agent-based simulation model to explore whether the reform might effectively motivate polluting industrial firms to improve their environmental behaviour. Simulation results found that the reform might not effectively motivate the desired improvements in environmental behaviour unless policy-makers improve individual enterprises’ financial capacities, enhance their subsidies, and encourage managers to improve their environmental awareness. These findings could be used in the vertical administrative reform efforts to help achieve the reform’s success. Points for practitioners The vertical reform needs to be sufficiently systematic across its governmental structure because it cannot operate in isolation. It is a part of the country’s complex economic, social, and environmental societal system. Combining administrative restructuring with regulation of micro-agents’ behaviour might increase the reform’s likelihood of success, and financial policies might improve preventive/enthusiastic environmental behaviour. A sophisticated policy approach, such as encouraging preventive/enthusiastic environmental behaviour through business opportunities, might ease behavioural change.

scholarly journals Aporte Teórico-Metodologico para o Estudo da Pluviosidade em Ambientes Urbanos Vulneráveis: Estudo de Caso do Clima Urbano de Duque de Caxias/RJ (Theoretical and Methodological Rain for the Study of Vulnerable in Urban Environments: a Case Study of ...)

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 476
Author(s):  
Antonio Carlos Da Silva Oscar Júnior ◽  
Ana Maria De Paiva Macedo Brandão
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
New Space ◽  
New Research

Hodiernamente as ciências do tempo e do clima assumem protagonismo no meio cientifico devido às questões e polêmicas atuais acerca das mudanças climáticas. Tendo em vista esse novo espaço, esse trabalho tem como objetivo trazer uma contribuição teórico-metodologica para aqueles que desejam se debruçar sobre essas novas questões que afligem o mundo moderno. Para aprofundar as discussões deste artigo, abordaremos o caso de Duque de Caxias, localizado na Baixada Fluminense do Rio de Janeiro, usando a também como caso exemplo para explicar como as dinâmicas socioeconômicas, deixando suas marcas no território intensificam os riscos naturais e aprofundam as vulnerabilidades sociais. No aflorar dessa nova agenda de pesquisas é papel dos Geógrafos aprofundarem suas análises em prol de um ordenamento territorial, e gestão do espaço condizente com as novas necessidades da sociedade. Palavras-Chave: Clima Urbano, Mudanças Climáticas, Planejamento Urbano.  Theoretical and Methodological Rain for the Study of Vulnerable in Urban Environments: a Case Study of Urban Climate Duque de Caxias-RJ  ABSTRACT Today the sciences of weather and climate took center stage in the middle due to scientific issues and controversies about the current climate. In light of this new space, this work aims to bring a theoretical and methodological contributions for those Who wish to dwell on these new issues that plague the modern world. For further discussion of this article, we discuss the case of Duque de Caxias, located in the Baixada Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro, also using as a case example to explain how socio-economic dynamics, leaving it’s mark in the territory of natural hazards intensify and deepen the vulnerabilities social. Flourishin this new research agenda is the role of geographers deepen their analysis in favor of a use and land management consistent with the changing needs of society.  Keywords: Urban Climate, Climate Change, Runoff, Urban Management

scholarly journals Can Mobility Management Campaigning Contribute to Pro-Environmental Behaviour in General? Development of an Analytical Tool

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-264
Author(s):  
Lena Winslott Hiselius
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Mobility Management ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Analytical Tool ◽  
Environmental Load ◽  
General Development ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
One Year

This paper brings to the fore the importance of a holistic approach to attaining a general pro-environmental behavioural change in order to reduce carbon emissions and the need to strive for a spillover of pro-environmental behaviour from one area to another. An adjusted version of the MaxSEM model is developed to capture differences in stages of behavioural change regarding environmental load on entering a Mobility Management campaign and one year after. The analytical tool is applied on two test samples in order to illustrate the tool and possible difficulties and methodological challenges. The test samples consist of participants in Mobility Management campaigns with personal incentives in two cities in Sweden. The application of the tool indicates e.g. that the timing of the survey is important and that there is need to upscale the MM-campaigns, in order to further discuss and analyse the effects of voluntary mobility measures in other domains.

scholarly journals The plastic waste problem- a pledge for volunteer activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-382
Author(s):  
Yolande G. Kolstee
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Explorative Study ◽  
Environmental Friendly ◽  
Self Organizing

In this explorative study, an overview of up to date data on plastic waste is given. Different methods of handling the plastic waste problem are described. The focus lies on volunteering.In order to get a picture of the plastic waste problem, a non-exhaustive overview is given of recent scientific and policy reports in paragraph 2. In paragraph 3 the guidelines of the UNEP and ISWA report on Global Waste Management is described. Other sources emphasize the importance of additional measurements. Those are e.g. self-organising volunteer activities in (higher-) education and volunteer cleaning up activities, respectively described in paragraph 4 and 5. In a small sample investigation to the motives for taken part in cleaning-up activities, undertaken in the Netherlands, Europe, two hypotheses were tested ‘cleaning-up is a token activity’ and ‘taking part in cleaning-up activities promotes environmental-friendly behaviour’.In paragraph 6 the method of the inquiry is described and in paragraph 7 we see from there some evidence for an expanding involvement with pro-environmental behaviour as a result from beach cleaning-up activities. In paragraph 8 we conclude that the need for involvement with the plastic waste problem of all and on all levels, is necessary. The contribution of volunteer activities like self-organizing groups in Universities or cleaning-up projects, seems to be an important factor in behavioural change to tackle the problem of plastic waste.

scholarly journals The Influence of Religion on Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabel Orellano ◽  
Carmen Valor ◽  
Emilio Chuvieco
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Moral Emotions ◽  
Ethical Consumption ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Responsible Consumption

Background: Due to the current environmental crisis, sustainable consumption (SC) behaviour and its drivers has gained significant attention among researchers. One of the potential drivers of SC, religion, have been analysed in the last few years. The study of the relationship between religion and adoption of SC at the individual level have reached mixed and inconclusive results. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of articles published between 1998 and 2019 was conducted using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Search terms included sustainable consumption, green consumption, ethical consumption, responsible consumption, pro-environmental behaviour and religion. Results: This systematic review reveals that contradictory results are due to methodological and theoretical reasons and provides a unifying understanding about the influence of religion on SC practices. Results highlight the role of religion as a distal or background factor of other proximal determinants of environmental behaviour. Conclusions: This paper contributes to the literature concerning SC by synthesising previous scholarship showing that religion shapes SC indirectly by affecting attitudes, values, self-efficacy, social norms and identity. The review concludes with a research agenda to encourage scholars the study of other unexamined mediating constructs, such as beliefs in after life, cleansing rituals and prayer, moral emotions, moral identity, the role of virtues and self-restrain.

Pathways from Environmental Ethics to Pro-Environmental Behaviours? Insights from Psychology

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Batavia ◽  
Jeremy T. Bruskotter ◽  
Michael Paul Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Environmental Ethic ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Sociocultural Context ◽  
Moral Obligations ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Practical Agenda

Though largely a theoretical endeavour, environmental ethics also has a practical agenda to help humans achieve environmental sustainability. Environmental ethicists have extensively debated the grounds, contents and implications of our moral obligations to nonhuman nature, offering up different notions of an 'environmental ethic' with the presumption that, if humans adopt such an environmental ethic, they will then engage in less environmentally damaging behaviours. We assess this presumption, drawing on psychological research to discuss whether or under what conditions an environmental ethic might engender pro-environmental behaviour. We focus discussion on three lines of scholarship in the environmental ethics literature, on 1) intrinsic value, 2) care ethics, and 3) the land ethic. We conclude by commenting generally on both the limits and transformative potential of an environmental ethic in its larger sociocultural context.

scholarly journals Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX): towards a holistic understanding of the feedbacks and interactions in the land–atmosphere–ocean–society continuum in the northern Eurasian region

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 14421-14461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna K. Lappalainen ◽  
Veli-Matti Kerminen ◽  
Tuukka Petäjä ◽  
Theo Kurten ◽  
Aleksander Baklanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
System Perspective ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Eurasian Region

Abstract. The northern Eurasian regions and Arctic Ocean will very likely undergo substantial changes during the next decades. The Arctic–boreal natural environments play a crucial role in the global climate via albedo change, carbon sources and sinks as well as atmospheric aerosol production from biogenic volatile organic compounds. Furthermore, it is expected that global trade activities, demographic movement, and use of natural resources will be increasing in the Arctic regions. There is a need for a novel research approach, which not only identifies and tackles the relevant multi-disciplinary research questions, but also is able to make a holistic system analysis of the expected feedbacks. In this paper, we introduce the research agenda of the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX), a multi-scale, multi-disciplinary and international program started in 2012 (https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/peex/). PEEX sets a research approach by which large-scale research topics are investigated from a system perspective and which aims to fill the key gaps in our understanding of the feedbacks and interactions between the land–atmosphere–aquatic–society continuum in the northern Eurasian region. We introduce here the state of the art for the key topics in the PEEX research agenda and present the future prospects of the research, which we see relevant in this context.

scholarly journals A Space to Call Our Own, an investigation into designing for play in urban environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hayley Webber
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Urban Public Space ◽  
Social Fragmentation ◽  
Meaningful Activity ◽  
Holistic Understanding

<p>Play is an act of discovery and stimulation. As children, we play to learn and grow. As adults, we play for freedom and to escape from reality. The action of play is a largely neglected aspect of peoples experience in urban public space. It is the un-functional and impractical use of the environment that fulfils a human instinct and curiosity that can spark conversation and spontaneity in public spaces. The development of the built environment has centred on improving the efficiency of daily life and little attention has been given to the informal synergies that urban public space can enable. Yet this space plays a central role in the formation of our culture and communities. With increasing trends of migration and urbanisation, New Zealand has become a multicultural society, but the quality of our public spaces and a distinct lack of meaningful interaction is causing increased levels of social fragmentation. The universal action of play can be used as a design tool to increase the level of meaningful activity and interaction in these spaces.   This thesis aims to understand how the inclusion of play and playful behaviour can create polycentric environments that can contribute to the reversal of social fragmentation between our ethnic communities and improve social cohesion and resilience within Newtown and Berhampore, socially deprived suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand.   The method of this research focuses on combining methods of spatial assessment and community engagement to develop a holistic understanding of play across social, cultural and physical dimensions. Observational studies, public surveying and community workshops combined with a comparative study across a series of case studies provided a foundation of knowledge that was then able to be applied to the design of physical playful spaces.  The design response across three test sites vary in scale between small tactical additions and overall redesign of space. These responses display how play can facilitate new forms of social interaction and spark spontaneity. The improved sense of community, familiarity and overall playfulness, increase overall resilience and overturn effects of social fragmentation. This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can engage with the concept of play to reignite passion within a community and support social network growth.</p>

scholarly journals A Space to Call Our Own, an investigation into designing for play in urban environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hayley Webber
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Urban Public Space ◽  
Social Fragmentation ◽  
Meaningful Activity ◽  
Holistic Understanding

<p>Play is an act of discovery and stimulation. As children, we play to learn and grow. As adults, we play for freedom and to escape from reality. The action of play is a largely neglected aspect of peoples experience in urban public space. It is the un-functional and impractical use of the environment that fulfils a human instinct and curiosity that can spark conversation and spontaneity in public spaces. The development of the built environment has centred on improving the efficiency of daily life and little attention has been given to the informal synergies that urban public space can enable. Yet this space plays a central role in the formation of our culture and communities. With increasing trends of migration and urbanisation, New Zealand has become a multicultural society, but the quality of our public spaces and a distinct lack of meaningful interaction is causing increased levels of social fragmentation. The universal action of play can be used as a design tool to increase the level of meaningful activity and interaction in these spaces.   This thesis aims to understand how the inclusion of play and playful behaviour can create polycentric environments that can contribute to the reversal of social fragmentation between our ethnic communities and improve social cohesion and resilience within Newtown and Berhampore, socially deprived suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand.   The method of this research focuses on combining methods of spatial assessment and community engagement to develop a holistic understanding of play across social, cultural and physical dimensions. Observational studies, public surveying and community workshops combined with a comparative study across a series of case studies provided a foundation of knowledge that was then able to be applied to the design of physical playful spaces.  The design response across three test sites vary in scale between small tactical additions and overall redesign of space. These responses display how play can facilitate new forms of social interaction and spark spontaneity. The improved sense of community, familiarity and overall playfulness, increase overall resilience and overturn effects of social fragmentation. This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can engage with the concept of play to reignite passion within a community and support social network growth.</p>

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