Awareness Of Environmental Problems Research Articles

Does Awareness Of Environmental Problems Guarantee Environmental Actions? Maybe More For Those Privileged

Does Awareness Of Environmental Problems Guarantee Environmental Actions? Maybe More For Those Privileged

Gen Y Green Purchasing Behavior in Relation YO Energy Conservation and Environmental Preservation Products in Malaysia

The significant increase in the effect of global warming has given more attention to consumers to protect and preserve the environment. This is evident as we see the purchasing trends of consumers moving towards environmentally friendly products. In Malaysia consumers consist of three main generations with varied purchasing behaviors. The aim of this study is to investigate the variables affecting Gen Y consumer’s green purchasing behavior. Phase 1 being qualitative in nature, involved five focus group interview sessions and a pilot study, while phase 2, being quantitative, involved the distribution and collection of questionnaires to Gen Y consumers of green products. The independent variables that affect green purchasing behavior are environmental concerns, attitudes towards the environment and environmental knowledge. Awareness of environmental problems was found not to be the variable that affects Gen Y green purchasing behavior. The implications of this study are that it supports energy conservation and environmental preservation businesses to better understand the green market environment, its opportunities and potential, enables businesses to better market their products, create products with competitive advantages and encourage the consumer’s green purchasing intentions. Subsequently, this study assists the government or policy makers to promote green purchasing behavior among the Malaysia population.

Explicit (but not implicit) environmentalist identity predicts pro-environmental behavior and policy preferences

Awareness of environmental problems has increased dramatically over recent decades, but individual action to address environmental issues has remained stagnant. Shifting social identities may be an under-appreciated explanation of this gap: identification with environmentalists in the U.S. dropped from 78% to 42% since 1991. In four pre-registered studies of U.S. residents (total N = 2,033), we explored the predictors and outcomes of environmentalist identity. We also developed a novel implicit measure of less deliberate aspects of environmentalist identity. We used explicit and implicit environmentalist identity to predict self-reported environmental behaviors and policy preferences. Meta-analysis of our pre-registered studies revealed that explicit identity was moderately associated with implicit identity (r = 0.24). Explicit identity strongly and uniquely predicted pro-environmental behaviors and policy preferences (partial rs = .58, .62), while implicit identity did not uniquely predict either (partial rs = .05, .05). Our findings highlight the importance of social identity in conservation.

THE ROLE OF THE TOURISM SECTOR IN ACTIVATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This research drives at examining tourism and sustainable development and their impact on important productive sectors in lots of states’ economics either the developed or the developing. Tourism is an economic activity characterized by producing foreign currency for states used for pushing development wheels. It also drives at identifing the obstacles and determinants of tourist activity in Egypt and the role of foreign direct investment in Egyptian tourism sector for activating sustainable development and setting standards for optimal use of resources without affecting them passively. Tourism in Egypt is still a highly capable resource for development for the multiple potentialities and potentials the state owns for tourism that meet the global demands and terms such as archeological tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism, treatment tourism, businessmen tourism, sports and marine tourism. This type of investment definitely increases work opportunities directly or indirectly as tourist states work on achieving stability climate viable for investment. Nevertheless, environmental problems represent a dismissible factor for tourists since the unconcern in treating such problems affects the state’s exerted efforts to develop and refresh this sector, affecting also national or international investment. Economic policies are considered a significant effective factor in fulfilling the tourist investment job affecting also its activity. The study also examines the green economy and its applicability in Egypt, rationalizing utilization of resources and reinforces inhabitants’ awareness of environmental problems. Study results indicate that moving towards green economic can achieve sustainable development and eliminating poorness as it increases investment, labor opportunities, sustain industry and development which are all targets of sustainable tourism. Recommendation indicate to the necessity of setting policies and strategies for sustainable tourist development, providing the infrastructure and general appropriate climate for foreign investment to increase the economic growth and so the sustainable development in one hand and conserving environment from pollution on the other hand.

An Examination of the Relationship between Pre-school Children’s and Their Teachers’ Attitudes and Awareness towards the Environment

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of awareness and attitudes towards environment of pre-school children’s and their teachers’ and to examine the relationship between them. This study was based on correlational research model. The study group consisted of 26 pre-school teachers working in kindergartens and primary schools in a province, and 208 children in the 5-6 age groups in which these teachers entered their classes. In this study, “Environmental Awareness and Attitude Scale for Pre-school Children” was used to determine the awareness and attitudes of pre-school children’s towards the environment. The “Attitudes towards Environmental Problems Scale” was used to determine the attitudes of pre-school teachers’ to the environmental problems and the “Awareness Scale for Environmental Problems” was used to determine teachers’ awareness of environmental problems. As a result of the study, it was determined that pre-school children’s attitudes towards environmental problems are high but their awareness about environmental problems is moderate. On the other hand, it was determined that pre-school teachers’ attitudes towards environmental problems were moderate and their awareness of environmental problems was generally high. Finally, it was determined that a moderately significant relationship was found between pre-school children’s and their teachers’ attitudes towards environmental problems, while there was a weak relationship between children’s and their teachers’ awareness of environmental problems.

Assessment of Consumer Behavior Towards Environmental Responsibility: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

AbstractThis paper analyses the factors impacting consumer environmental responsibility using a structural equation modeling approach. Consumer environmental responsibility is the intention of a person to act towards remediation of environmental problems not as an individual user with economic interests but as a responsible citizen having concerns about the social and environmental wellbeing of society. Therefore, awareness of environmental problems and knowledge of remedial alternatives will help individuals to pursue their chosen action and bolster a genuine desire to act and determine the measures for alleviation of environmental challenges. The four dimensions of an environmentally responsible consumer – opinion and beliefs, willingness, awareness, and an ability to act – are analysed. During the analysis, the dimension of ‘ability to move’ is found to be critical, because it has a direct influence on the capacity of the consumer to act. This research is intended to guide policy‐ and decision‐makers of regulatory bodies in understanding consumer behavior towards improving environmental performance index. It also helps organizational managers to make their supply chains green, and competitive, which in turn improves brand image and overall organizational performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Towards the Conceptual Changes in Architectural Education: Adjusting to Climate Change

This article gives an insight into the problem of climate change awareness in the process of architectural education. The course Urban Structure at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture, is used as a case study that reveals a sensitive relationship between the university curriculum, teaching methodologies, students’ experiences/obtained knowledge and the local background. The course included Problem Based Learning method in order to increase applicability of up-to-date knowledge on climate change. The results were tested before and after taking the course, via survey based on the semi-open type of questionnaire, distributed among 246 course attendees. The testing was conducted twice, during the school years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015. The comparison between the knowledge acquire via theory (the test results provided at the beginning of the course) and the knowledge obtained by Problem Based Learning (the results obtained after the course ended) confirmed the increased level of student’s awareness of environmental problems, as well as the extended scope of their ability to respond to occurring problems caused by climate change. Furthermore, the results obtained by a questionnaire are used for setting of new educational guidelines.

Potential underground environmental risk caused by GSHP systems

Due to rising energy demand, the awareness of environmental problems caused by fossil fuels and the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, interest in shallow geothermal use is increasing. The ground source heat pump (GSHP) technologies are favorable owing to its high efficiency and relatively low operating costs. Some researchers have noticed the environmental problems caused by shallow geothermal use; however, most studies focus on open groundwater heat pump systems. The underground environmental risks caused by closed GSHP systems have not been widely concerned. In this study, based on literature review, field investigations and temperature measurements, the potential risks including thermal pollution and groundwater contaminations, and the preliminary solutions to these problems are discussed. The results of this study may help to improve quality and safety controls of GSHP systems and it is also important for sustainable use of shallow geothermal energy.

Measuring private sphere environmentally significant behaviour of residents in Abu Dhabi

The ecological footprint of the United Arab Emirates is one of the highest in the world. Concentrated efforts are being made by the government of UAE towards promoting and facilitating sustainable behaviour. These efforts are based on the premise that enhancing knowledge and awareness of environmental problems can lead to a change in behaviour. The aim of this paper is to: 1) examine private sphere environmentally significant behaviour focused around specific sustainable activities such as green consumption, recycling, energy saving and water conservation; 2) present and validate environmentally significant behaviour as a second-order construct capable of capturing multiple behavioural dimensions. The results will offer policy makers insight into how effective their efforts have been on everyday practices of individuals. Considering the dearth of research in this area in the UAE, this study could provide academics with future research opportunities that explore various aspects of sustainable consumer behaviour in this region.

Measuring private sphere environmentally significant behaviour of residents in Abu Dhabi

The ecological footprint of the United Arab Emirates is one of the highest in the world. Concentrated efforts are being made by the government of UAE towards promoting and facilitating sustainable behaviour. These efforts are based on the premise that enhancing knowledge and awareness of environmental problems can lead to a change in behaviour. The aim of this paper is to: 1) examine private sphere environmentally significant behaviour focused around specific sustainable activities such as green consumption, recycling, energy saving and water conservation; 2) present and validate environmentally significant behaviour as a second-order construct capable of capturing multiple behavioural dimensions. The results will offer policy makers insight into how effective their efforts have been on everyday practices of individuals. Considering the dearth of research in this area in the UAE, this study could provide academics with future research opportunities that explore various aspects of sustainable consumer behaviour in this region.

Pursuing the Goal of Sustainable Action in the Basic Training of Teachers

Abstract School can and should promote the development of sustainable lifestyles that lead communities to be fairer and more responsible and respectful with the environment and people. Thus, Environmental Education must focus on the development of a competence for action based on critical thinking, independent decision-making and participation. The objective of this study is to analyse if teachers in pre-service training are aware of the main purpose Environmental Education must pursue and what this implies. The research was carried out via mixed methodology, contrasting the data obtained through a Likert scale of attitudes with other qualitative data. The analysis of the data suggests the existence of future teachers’ frequent predisposition to believing that the essential aim should simply be an awareness of environmental problems, perpetuating in this way the gap that separates the daily educational practice of the current environmental philosophy.

Removal of humic acid from composted hog waste by the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The potential hazards of humic acid (HA) associated with hog waste effluent, coupled with increasing awareness of environmental problems, have prompted many countries to control disposal of effluents into water bodies and to maximize removal of HA. Here we employed the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, to degrade the HA in composted hog waste effluent, evaluated by the response surface method. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that pH, temperature and quantity of inoculum are significant variables determining success of the fungus. In total, 13 experiments were conducted with three variables designated as A (pH), B (temperature) and C (inoculum amount). The optimal conditions for reduction of HA by P. chrysosporium are pH 6, 31.5°C and an inoculum quantity of 5.86 g. Predicted and experimental results exhibit strong agreement, indicating efficiency in the model obtained by response surface method. Therefore, P. chrysosporium is an effective micro-organism for removal of HA from composted hog waste effluent.

The Dissociative Experience: Mediating the Tension Between People's Awareness of Environmental Problems and Their Inadequate Behavioral Responses

Growing environmental awareness clashes with consumerism and economic dependence on non-sustainable lifestyles. Individuals experience this conflict when they make decisions on a day-to-day basis. We suggest that to deal with such a tension people simultaneously maintain conflicting positions. The psychological mechanism of dissociation lies at the heart of this contradiction. In this study, people separate their concern for the environment from their non-sustainable practices. We empirically explore this framework and the consequences of it on both the perception of the problem and the implementation of solutions. Results suggest proenvironmental actions come from internal psychological demands for emotional stability rather than from any understanding of environmental issues, resulting in poor, inadequate, and insufficient environmental responses. Our insights suggest that a strategy for reconnecting people and their lifestyles with the environment is the basis for effective change. Key Words: Dissociation—Climate change—Psychological adaptation—Non-sustainable lifestyle—Overconsumption.

When Rhetoric Meets Reality: Attitudinal Change and Coastal Zone Management in Ghana

The current poor state of coastal natural resources in Ghana has been attributed to pressures largely from anthropogenic sources, as well as to the negative attitudes of resource users. In order to facilitate attitudinal change educational programmes have focused on the linear model of behaviour, where an awareness of environmental problems is thought to lead to positive environmental behaviour. This paper presents the results of a study of the environmental attitudes of some coastal residents and the socio-economic milieu in which these attitudes are expressed. The results indicated that (1) majority of the respondents lacked access to basic infrastructure, (2) their main environmental concerns were linked to their desire for better living conditions, (3) they have generally positive environmental attitudes and (4) their positive environmental attitudes did not translate to good environmental behaviour because of factors mentioned in (1) and (2). The paper recommends the consideration of environmental and socio-economic concerns of resource users, which influence behavioural intentions during the policy-making processes.

A case study: the Green School Project in Flanders

This paper describes the Green School Project initiated by the Flemish Minister of Environment and developed by a team of researchers at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. The aim of the project is to stimulate the introduction of environmental management at secondary schools. The principal objective is to raise secondary school pupil's awareness of environmental problems through practical and immediately applicable changes in the school's own environment. The introduction and maintenance of an environmental management system leads to the award of a 'Green School' label.

Does Formal Environmental Knowledge Inform the Everyday Practices of Senior Secondary Biology Learners in Lesotho

This paper explores the link between formal environmental knowledge encapsulated in the University of Cambridge International Examination Curriculum and learners’ ability to translate this knowledge into everyday practices in Lesotho. The paper reports on research undertaken in three secondary schools in Lesotho based on an interpretive paradigm. Data was collected through questionnaires, followed by focus group interviews with learners. The findings suggest that learners have sound theoretical knowledge and awareness of environmental problems, but are not action competent with regard to such problems. In the context of this study, formal knowledge therefore does not inform everyday practices. Possible reasons for this may be due to a de-contextualised curriculum and a teaching and learning environment where ‘action competence’ is not nurtured.

Study on New Types of Environmental Protection AgSnO<sub>2</sub> Electrical Contact Materials

AgSnO2contact materials have begun to replace toxic AgCdO materials in switching devices such as contactors and circuit breakers since 1970s [1,, which is partly due to the fact that AgSnO2materials have shown higher service lives, better welding resistance and less arc erosion in contactors of larger size [. Furthermore, the growing awareness of environmental problems makes it desirable to replace AgCdO contact materials [. However, these materials suffer from an inadequate welding behavior compared with AgCdO [. It was observed that AgSnO2made by traditional metallurgical process exhibited high overtemperatures attributed to high contact resistance caused by surface layers of accumulated SnO2, which was due to the poor wettability of SnO2grains in the silver melt in combination with their high thermal stability [6,7]. Another important point was the large size and high hardness of SnO2particle prepared by traditional process, which reduced the workability of AgSnO2contact materials [8]. In this work, the authors prepared Ti4+-doped SnO2using sol-gel technique and investigated the microstructure, size, distribution and crystallization of Ti4+-doped tin oxide grains as well as the doping effects on the electrical conductivity of these materials.

How characteristics of wetlands resource users and associated institutions influence the sustainable management of wetlands in Tanzania

Natural resources management has been an issue of global concern due to the ongoing deterioration in the stock of natural resources worldwide. This problem has often been linked to the rules governing the management of these resources. The current study was conducted in Kilombero wetlands, a Ramsar site in Tanzania, to determine whether variations in knowledge of the rules and regulations governing management of wetlands amongst the resource users can explain the current degradation of the wetlands. The results show the existence of such variations. Awareness of environmental problems and participation in conservation projects were found to have a positive influence on the knowledge of rules and regulations. The study therefore, recommends an immediate and meaningful harmonization of the framework of various institutions, which together with environmental education would result in a common understanding of the constitutional rules amongst the primary and secondary wetland resource users. Such an arrangement would lead to participatory and sustainable wetland management.

Islam , Eco-Literacy and Green Purchase : Evidence from Malaysia

This paper discusses the role of green purchase behaviour based on Islamic teachings and examines the influence of eco-literacy on willingness to purchase green products empirically among Muslim consumers in Malaysia. A survey was conducted using self-structured questionnaires on Muslim respondents of above 18 years age, working, and having green purchasing experience, selected at several major electrical outlets within central region of Malaysia. The study relates Islamic teachings with importance of green purchase behaviour, highlighting the significance of knowledge in practice/behaviour based on Islamic view, and providing an empirical investigation on eco-literacy concept in determining willingness to purchase energy-efficient home electrical products among Muslim consumers in Malaysia. The results and the findings implied that awareness of environmental problems and product characteristics had a significant positive influence on willingness to purchase energy-efficient products while awareness of eco-label did not significantly influence willingness to purchase energy-efficient products among Malaysian Muslim consumers. The study calls for improving the understanding on the importance of green purchase behaviour in protecting the environment and the significance of eco-literacy in guiding pro-environmental behaviours based on Islamic teachings. It also provides insights to policy-makers and industry players in planning interventions and promotional campaigns of green products by improving the awareness of environmental. Further research is required on effectiveness of energy-efficient eco-label as a communication tool in promoting energy-efficient home electrical products among Muslim consumers.

Global change revealed by palaeolimnological records from remote lakes: a review

Over recent decades, palaeolimnological records from remote sites have provided convincing evidence for the onset and development of several facets of global environmental change. Remote lakes, defined here as those occurring in high latitude or high altitude regions, have the advantage of not being overprinted by local anthropogenic processes. As such, many of these sites record broad-scale environmental changes, frequently driven by regime shifts in the Earth system. Here, we review a selection of studies from North America and Europe and discuss their broader implications. The history of investigation has evolved synchronously with the scope and awareness of environmental problems. An initial focus on acid deposition switched to metal and other types of pollutants, then climate change and eventually to atmospheric deposition-fertilising effects. However, none of these topics is independent of the other, and all of them affect ecosystem function and biodiversity in profound ways. Currently, remote lake palaeolimnology is developing unique datasets for each region investigated that benchmark current trends with respect to past, purely natural variability in lake systems. Fostering conceptual and methodological bridges with other environmental disciplines will upturn contribution of remote lake palaeolimnology in solving existing and emerging questions in global change science and planetary stewardship.