Assessment of environmental orientations of urban Taiwanese and their relation to climate change mitigation behaviour in central Taiwan

Abstract

Urban areas, where the residential and over-growing economic activities take place, have emitted huge greenhouse gasses causing global warming and climate change. This study aimed to assess the environmental orientations of urban people in central Taiwan using New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scales and the relation to climate change-mitigation behaviour. Conducted in Taichung City, the second-largest city in central Taiwan, this study collected data from 218 samples from March to April 2021. To analyse the data, this study used factor analysis to categorize the environmental orientations and multiple regression analysis to evaluate the relationship of determinant factors of climate change mitigation behaviours. This study categorized four groups of environmental orientation, and Urban Taiwanese obtained the highest score for the role of humanity over nature, followed by the limit to growth, eco-crisis, and anti-anthropocentrism/anti-exceptionalism or misperception on environmental issues. Of the four environmental orientations, the anti-anthropocentrism/anti-exceptionalism people (Factor 2) and concern on limit to growth (Factor 4) are significantly associated with climate change attitudes that later significantly influence the intention and behaviour-related climate change. Subjective norms and educational level are also the significant determinant factors of the intention and behaviour-related climate change mitigation.