Abstract
Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions (climate change mitigation) is one of the most important types of pro-environmental behavior. Greenhouse gases have been repeatedly cited as a leading cause of climate change (CC). However, before engaging in CC mitigation behaviors, individuals must accept the reality of CC. Few studies addressing the influence of individual time perspective on climate change mitigation have been found. No study investigating the relationship between time perspectives and acceptance of the reality of CC exists. This study was aimed at filling that research gap. The study examines the impact of consideration of immediate and distant consequences of behavior on individual acceptance of the reality of CC and commitment to engage in CC mitigation behaviors. Two-hundred-and-forty-five undergraduate students responded to an instrument investigating those variables. A structural-equation model revealed that consideration of distant consequences affects acceptance of CC, but considering immediate consequences do not influence that acceptance. Accepting that CC is real affects the commitment to act pro-environmentally, which in turn influences CC mitigation commitment. Consideration of distant consequences also positively affects willingness to engage in CC mitigation; yet, consideration of immediate consequences produced no effect on that commitment.
Highlights
The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (Strathman et al, 1994) was the fourth used instrument. It includes 14 items revealing both consideration of immediate consequences (“My behavior is only influenced by the immediate outcomes”, “I only act to satisfy immediate concerns”) and consideration of distant consequences (“I consider how things might be in the future”, “My behavior is generally influenced by future consequences”) using a 5-point response format (1 = not at all like me... 5 = very much like me)
As previous studies and our results show, humans often attend to immediate consequences of their behavior to the detriment of consideration of their longterm consequences
Our sample of participants consisted of people with an above average level of education, we found variability in levels of consideration of immediate and future consequences, and commitment to protect the environment; a variability that was sufficient enough to reveal significant associations between those variables
Summary
A number of pro-environmental behaviors inhibit the emission of greenhouse gases. These behaviors include walking or biking instead of driving a car, decreasing meat eating, eating fresh seasonable and local vegetables, using natural fertilizers in agriculture, energy and water conservation, avoiding air travel, and reducing consumption of products, among many others (Gatersleben, Steg, & Vlek, 2002; Brüger, Morton, & Dessai, 2015). People who engage in those behaviors usually make a conscious commitment to face the consequences of climate change (Whitmarsh, 2009; Broomell, Budescu, & Por, 2015). The study of this kind of commitment is important in determining factors that promote CC mitigation behavior. The study of actions committed to fight climate change is relevant, because a difference exists between actions intentionally directed to mitigate climate change and actions driven by other types of intentions (such as economic reasons, moral imperatives, habits, etc.); these differences may be crucial in fighting climate change (Whitmarsh, 2009)
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