Abstract
The idea that concerns for and emotional reactions to climate change may be due to environment-related egoism and altruism was tested. Participants assessed as “high” on egoism were shown to be more concerned for myself-related issues and afraid of the climate change impact on their local environment, indicating a self-benefit goal motive. Participants assessed as “high” on altruism were those more concerned for issues related to others and nature and more afraid and less hopeful for the whole world, indicating a pro-social goal motive in this group of individuals. This indicates that environment-related value orientations of egoism and altruism may prompt concerns and convey feelings differently about the climate change issue. Accordingly, when encouraging sustainable development, policy and pro-environmental actions, we have to bear in mind people’s world views grounded in environment-related selfishness vs. unselfishness; indicating different goal-directed motives in climate change decision making.
Highlights
Consequences of climate change such as floods, heat waves and storms and their impact on society and our lifestyle are frequently in the news
It is suggested that a value orientation of, for example, egoism may antecede and positively correlate with a belief that, for example, protecting the environment will threat jobs for people like me, which in turn may antecede and positively correlate with myself-related concerns for, for example, my lifestyle and health
Data on climate-change- related beliefs, concerns, hope and fear will be reported in the present article
Summary
Consequences of climate change such as floods, heat waves and storms and their impact on society and our lifestyle are frequently in the news. In addition and due to the embedded conflict between an individual level of short-term self-interests (I will use my car, despite its production of harmful gases.) and a long-term collectivistic natural resource management (How can we decrease air pollution?), the climate change issue can be conceptualized as a resource dilemma involving a conflict between the two types of interests (Hardin, 1968; Vugt, 2002; Schmuck & Vlek, 2003; Kortenkamp & Moore, 2006; Biel and Thögersen, 2007). It is suggested that a value orientation of, for example, egoism (to benefit oneself) may antecede and positively correlate with a belief that, for example, protecting the environment will threat jobs for people like me (awareness of consequences for oneself), which in turn may antecede and positively correlate with myself-related concerns for, for example, my lifestyle and health (type of affect linked to consequences for oneself)
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