Abstract
Motivating individuals to decrease the environmental impact of their lifestyles could play an important role in reducing energy use and meeting carbon reduction commitments in developed countries. Few approaches which encourage voluntary changes in behaviour result in substantial reductions in energy use, however, particularly over the longer term. An exception to this general trend is small-group interventions which use group participation and which target collections of behaviours including energy use. Through a critical examination of published data this paper considers the energy and carbon emission reductions achieved by such initiatives, the durability of those reductions, and the common elements which may contribute to their success. Participants in small-group interventions reduced their energy use and carbon emissions by approximately 20% within a year. There is also some evidence that these reductions were lasting and that participants continued to make changes to their lifestyles after the end of the intervention. The reasonable person model (RPM) is proposed as a useful framework for understanding the success of these small-group interventions. Examination of small-group interventions suggests that they provide settings which are supportive of informational needs, and that this may be important to their success in promoting substantial and durable decreases in energy use.
Highlights
Motivating individuals to reduce the environmental impact of their lifestyles is an important component of reducing energy use and meeting carbon reduction commitments in developed countries.The UK Energy Research Centre estimated that changes in individual and household behaviour in the United Kingdom (UK) could contribute a 30% cut in emissions on 1990 levels [1], and Dietz et al [2]suggested that simple behaviour changes could contribute a 20% reduction in direct household carbon emissions in the United States (US)
This paper examines whether the reasonable person model (RPM) might be helpful for understanding successful behaviour change interventions
The small-group interventions examined here appear to be successful in promoting changes in pro-environmental behaviour leading to substantial and durable reductions in household energy use and carbon emissions
Summary
Motivating individuals to reduce the environmental impact of their lifestyles is an important component of reducing energy use and meeting carbon reduction commitments in developed countries. A further concern is that many programmes designed to promote energy reduction and other pro-environmental behaviour focus on a single specific behaviour or attitude with little attempt to influence related behaviours or overall lifestyle [1]. Even when these interventions have successfully promoted substantial change in the targeted behaviour there is little evidence of impact on other pro-environmental behaviours [7]. Behaviour for people who are concerned about the environmental impact of their daily lives might be reflected by pro-environmental behaviour (e.g., turning the thermostat down, installing energy efficiency measures) The potential for such behaviour to increase might be a function of the degree to which interventions provide environments that are supportive. By identifying such mechanisms we hope to provide insight into how other types of interventions might be made more effective in promoting the behaviour change needed to deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions
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