Environmental Apathy Research Articles

Review: The Nature of the Religious Right: The Struggle Between Conservative Evangelicals and the Environmental Movement, by Neall W. Pogue

“WHAT ARE WE DOING TO GOD’S EARTH?” questioned a leading American evangelical periodical in May 1970 (p. 23). As historian Neall W. Pogue recounts in The Nature of the Christian Right, in the aftermath of the first official Earth Day observance the spring of that year, “mainstream” American evangelical leaders in the United States mirrored the nation’s growing concern over widespread environmental degradation. In Pogue’s telling, these prominent leaders embraced in response neither a human-centered, utilitarian approach of dominion over nature nor an environmental apathy rooted in premillennial premonitions of the earth’s fiery demise. Instead, starting in the 1970s, they unexpectedly championed a “philosophy” of “Christian environmental stewardship” before abruptly abandoning it in the early 1990s (pp. 2, 174).Pogue’s account argues “Christian environmental stewardship” first found fertile expression in the thought of American evangelical Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer’s landmark book Pollution and the Death of Man tilled the soil for a harvest of “eco-friendly philosophies” within the “conservative evangelical mainstream” (p. 2). The itinerant evangelist argued evangelicals had a Scripturally rooted responsibility to care for God’s creation. Humans, he posited, were but one part of a broader ecological “natural order” that they needed to steward. On this point, Schaeffer’s environmental philosophy proved far more ambitious than merely caring for creation. Preserving what was “natural” also included advancing other well-documented evangelical causes, such as counteracting the “artificial” sexual revolution (pp. 43–45).While it gained mainstream appeal, Schaeffer’s “stewardship philosophy” experienced a fall from grace in the early 1990s. At that point, Pogue maintains, evangelical leaders recoiled in reaction to the consistent critiques of aggressive “secular” environmentalists, who had long argued that Christianity “perpetuated the ecological crisis” (p. 6). In response, evangelical leaders labeled environmentalists as “earth-worshipping extremists” and agents of a “one-world state” (pp. 139, 150). For these mainstream personalities, association with environmentalism now carried great political and religious risk and necessitated their disavowal of Schaeffer’s thought.In unearthing the rise and fall of this strain of evangelical environmentalism, Pogue’s study marks a welcome foil to the standard historiography on the Religious Right. And yet, the book’s overall focus on elite figures and institutions raises two pressing questions: first, to what extent did everyday evangelicals fully embrace such ecological commitments? And second, where should historians properly locate the center of American evangelicalism?Recently, several historians of modern American evangelicalism have challenged long-accepted historical markers of evangelical identity, such as the Bebbington quadrilateral (p. 9), arguing that such abstractions captured the doctrinal concerns of white evangelicalism’s vanguard at the expense of the movement’s populist core. Moreover, such a framework obscured the militant masculinity, political dominance, white supremacy, skepticism toward science, and visions of Armageddon at the center of white evangelicalism. Through focusing primarily on “mainstream” elites, Pogue has outlined an evangelicalism that arguably proved far gentler and kinder on ecological issues than what may have existed within the core of the movement. This historical recovery, while significant and needed, overlooks a much more heated, complex, and deep-seated internal evangelical struggle over ecology and identity. When weighing Christian stewardship’s downfall, it also potentially attributes too much causation to the external critiques of secular environmentalists, as opposed to the internal, core instincts of evangelicals themselves. Finally, greater inclusion of Black and female evangelical voices could have helped the book uncover much more prophetic and visionary evangelical ecologies, many of which endure to this day. These concerns aside, Pogue’s work has offered a firm foundation to further tease out the contested reality of American evangelical environmentalism.

How responsible leadership shapes followers' low-carbon behavior: A dual-mediation model.

In recent years, environmental problems such as global warming, rising sea levels, and species extinction have provoked a widespread concern all over the world, and many countries and international organizations have called for a reduction in carbon emissions. Theoretically, although many scholars have explored how responsible leadership influences subordinates' work-related outcomes, little studies have examined the association between responsible leadership and employees' low-carbon behavior. Therefore, to address this literature gap, we here drawing upon social cognitive theory developed a dual-mediation model to investigate how responsible leadership impacts employees' low-carbon behavior, and through which mechanisms this impact may occur. By conducting a questionnaire survey in a company in China, we collected the valid data from 411 samples. Then using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.1, we tested our proposed theoretical model and hypotheses by analyzing these data. The empirical results showed that responsible leadership was positively related to employees' environmental consciousness, which can further increase their low-carbon behavior. At the same time, responsible leadership was negatively related to employees' environmental apathy, which can reduce their low-carbon behavior. And employees' environmental consciousness and environmental apathy played the mediating roles in the relationship between responsible leadership and employees' low-carbon behavior. Furthermore, we found that leader-member exchange (LMX) magnified the direct effect of responsible leadership on employees' environmental apathy and strengthened the indirect effect of responsible leadership on employees' low-carbon behavior via environmental apathy, but the moderating effect of LMX on another path was not significant. These findings suggest that despite encouraging leaders to show responsible behaviors, promoting employees' environmental consciousness and reducing their environmental apathy may be useful ways to facilitating their low-carbon behavior and achieving a low-carbon society. Moreover, establishing a high-quality of exchange relationship with followers may magnify the effectiveness of responsible leadership on lowering followers' environmental apathy.

Interaction Gardens and Butterfly Catalogues: a Joint Strategy to Promote Capacity Development in Protected Areas and Reduce the Extinction of Experience in Cities

More than half of the world’s population live in cities. Increasing numbers of generations are now born and raised in urban landscapes with decreasing opportunities towards interacting with natural environments. This extinction of experience leads to environmental apathy and lack of bioliteracy, which is a central aspect to be tackled in conservation strategies. At the same time, people who live near or at non-urban settings are closer to natural habitats but do not have similar access to concepts of environmentalism and may lack incentives to lean towards nature conservation, instead of its exploitation or even illegal activities. We here propose that interaction gardens, that is, gardens with multiple trophic levels (primary producers, herbivores, predators, and parasitoids), can tackle these issues, especially if planned with incentives, such as butterfly catalogues, aimed as a common goal of the garden community. It can also bring benefits to human health and well-being, increase the survival chances of local biodiversity, and strengthen the front line of conservation by promoting income strategies to people who live near protected areas. Our specific aims are to 1) share a case study of capacity development at the Intervales State Park in the Atlantic Forest, Southeast Brazil; 2) present the butterfly catalogue of this protected area; 3) present guidelines for interaction gardens at both urban and non-urban settings; and 4) discuss alternative perspectives about Neotropical conservation. We provide a translated version of the text in Portuguese to encourage students, educators, NGOs and local communities of other protected areas to venture in our proposed joint strategy of interaction gardens with butterfly catalogues.

The role of religious narratives and religious orientation towards concerns for the natural environment and animal welfare.

Several studies show that religion hinders concerns for the natural environment preservation. Others, however, have found that the belief in God or the identification with a particular religion is not associated with measures for environmental concerns. This study investigates the influence of religious narrative framing and the relation between Allport's intrinsic personal (IP) and extrinsic social (ES) religious orientation towards general environmental apathy (GEA) and acceptability for harming animals (AIS). This study surveyed 657 teachers and school staff in East Java, Indonesia. Using ANOVA, we find that religious narrative affects participant's GEA and AIS. Participants in stewardship narrative group have significantly lower GEA and AIS compared to participants in human dominance and the non-narratives control group. Using multiple regression, we also confirm the persistence of religious narrative's influence towards GEA. In addition, lower GEA and AIS correlate with higher IP and lower ES. Lastly, we identify and discuss significant demographic and other determinants relation to GEA and AIS.

Restaurant management and food waste reduction: factors affecting attitudes and intentions in restaurants of Spain

PurposeAlthough the challenge of food waste (FW) in the foodservice sector is significant, restaurant managers do not always engage in its reduction. The psychological reasons for this disengagement remain insufficiently understood. This study aims to explore the antecedents of behavioural intention of restaurateurs (not) to reduce FW. The influence of three factors is tested, namely, market orientation; environmental apathy alongside selected neutralization techniques, namely, appeal to higher loyalties; denial of injury and denial of responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the method of a large-scale managerial survey (n = 292) administered in the commercial foodservice sector of Spain. The data are analysed via structural equation modelling with partial least squares.FindingsThe study finds that market orientation affects managerial intention to reduce FW but not their attitude, while environmental apathy influences managerial attitudes but not their behavioural intention. The study confirms the negative effect of such neutralizers as the appeal to higher loyalties and the denial of injury on suppressing managerial intention to reduce FW. Contrary to initial anticipations, another established neutralizer, the denial of responsibility, exerts no significant effect.Practical implicationsThe study elaborates on the interventions necessitated to neutralize the effect of the neutralizers on managerial (un)willingness to reduce FW in the commercial foodservice sector.Originality/valueThis is the first known attempt to understand the drivers of managerial engagement in FW reduction in the commercial foodservice sector through the prism of environmental apathy, market orientation and neutralization theory.

Measuring consumers’ knowledge of the environmental impact of foods

Our daily food choices have a huge impact on the environment. However, most consumers are not aware of the environmental impact of food production and consumption. Since there is no valid and reliable measure of knowledge regarding food's environmental impact, a 16-item multiple-choice knowledge questionnaire was developed. An example item reads: “Which of the following meals is the most climate friendly?” – Organic beef burger, Organic salmon burger, Quinoa burger, Do not know. The knowledge questionnaire was tested in a Swiss and German consumer sample (total N = 1810) and meets standard psychometric criteria. It showed good internal consistency across the adult samples. Validity was supported by small to medium-sized positive correlations with constructs of environmental (e.g., environmental apathy) and food (e.g., perceived environmentally friendly food purchasing behavior) attitudes. By using a food buffet made of replica food items, it was shown that consumers with higher knowledge scores are better able to compose lunch menus with a lower environmental footprint. The new scale will help to identify potential areas of misconceptions in people's understanding of the environmental friendliness of foods and in what respect a lack of knowledge poses a barrier to behavioral change. It also enables research into the efficacy of educational measures such as campaigns and decision aids for sustainable food consumption.

From nature deficit to outdoor exploration: curriculum for sustainability in Vermont’s public schools

ABSTRACTChildren today are spending less time than ever outdoors, contributing to a culture of environmental apathy and separation from the natural world. In the growing field of environmental education, teachers are challenged to introduce the outdoors into their curriculum. In Vermont, some public school teachers have successfully implemented environmental education into their practice in a variety of interesting ways. This paper analyzes a series of teacher interviews and observations in Vermont public schools to identify successful strategies and pedagogies being utilized for environmental education. Several common themes emerged from this study, including place-based education, hands-on exploration, and free choice learning.

The Role of Narcissism and Competitive Worldview in Predicting Environmental Apathy

In this study, hypothetical model included personality variables and social psychological variables by employing narcissism and competitive worldview as predictors towards apathy about environmental issues. The study was conducted on 225 college students (138 males, 87 females; Mage = 18.25 years, SDage = 2.13 years) taken through convenience accidental sampling technique from several majors of a private university in Jakarta, Indonesia. The results of path analysis showed that narcissism was able to predict apathy towards the environment indirectly through a competitive view of the world (χ2 = 0.11, p = 0.736, RMSEA = 0.000).2398-4295 © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK.. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Environmental apathy; competitive worldview; narcissism; psychology

The Role of Narcissism and Competitive Worldview in Predicting Environmental Apathy

In this study, hypothetical model included personality variables and social psychological variables by employing narcissism and competitive worldview as predictors towards apathy about environmental issues. The study was conducted on 225 college students (138 males, 87 females; Mage = 18.25 years, SDage = 2.13 years) taken through convenience accidental sampling technique from several majors of a private university in Jakarta, Indonesia. The results of path analysis showed that narcissism was able to predict apathy towards the environment indirectly through a competitive view of the world (χ2 = 0.11, p = 0.736, RMSEA = 0.000).

Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World by Timothy Morton

<i>Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World</i> by Timothy Morton

Determinants of Proenvironmental Attitudes in College Students

This study examined socio demographic predictors of different forms of environmental attitudes (ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, and environmental apathy) among students from a variety of academic fields at a liberal arts institution. Apathy toward the environment was predicted by political conservatism and a higher education level among parents; anthropocentrism was also a function of participation in sports activities while growing up, political conservatism, and other demographic variables. Time spent in front of a screen (computer, television) positively predicted ecocentrism and negatively impacted apathy. The results confirm the importance of separating proenvironmental attitudes into two categories focusing on inherent value versus utilitarianism. We discuss the implications of these findings for the field of environmental education and on the future of society as a whole.

Landholder adoption of low emission agricultural practices: A profiling approach

Agriculture is the second largest source of greenhouse gases emissions in Australia. Any substantial reduction in national emissions will require behavior changes within the farming community. This study aimed to identify the primary psychological drivers and barriers associated with the adoption of low emission agricultural practices (LEAP) in a sample of 551 Australian farmers (mean age = 51.40 years; SD = 11.99). Multiple regression analysis revealed that farmers were more likely to adopt LEAP if they: perceived a clear financial benefit for such practices, believed they possessed the relevant knowledge and skill, were future oriented, and exhibited low levels of environmental apathy. Latent profile analysis categorized the sample of famers into four distinct segments: Non-Green Dismissive (11%), Uncommitted (57%), Green Adopters (20%) and Profit-Driven Adopters (12%). Both Green and Profit-Driven adopters engaged in more LEAP than members of the Uncommitted and Non-Green Dismissive segments. Our results indicate that unique combinations of psychological drivers and barriers may influence LEAP adoption in each segment. This information can be used to inform the development of segment-specific messaging and engagement strategies.

Cuidado Ambiental em Tempos de Sustentabilidade: Relação Entre Compromisso Pró-Ecológico e Orientação de Futuro

In order to explore some of the psychological dimensions that are part of a sustainable lifestyle, in the present research were investigated relationships between indicators of pro-ecological commitment (Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Environmentalism scales) and temporal orientation (Consideration of Future Consequences scale), and their associations with self-reported practices of environmental care. 380 college students participated, most were female (77%), with a mean age of 22 years old (SD = 3.66). The results were consistent with previous studies, albeit with modest statistical indices. The association between pro-ecological commitment, stronger in case of ecocentrism, and future time orientation was corroborated. There were clear associations between anthropocentrism, environmental apathy and immediacy, and the absence of reports of environmental care practices. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed, as well are made appointments for future researches.

How Evangelicals from Two Churches in the American Southwest Frame Their Relationship with the Environment

In this article, we analyze the ways in which Evangelicals frame a rhetoric of environmental concern and environmental apathy, with a larger focus on the latter. Heeding calls to further explore within-Evangelical differences, we compare environmental narratives of 20 leaders and laity of a predominantly white Southern Baptist congregation and 20 leaders and laity from an African American Baptist church, both located in a Southwestern American city. We find, especially on the topic of climate change, that most Evangelicals in our study readily evince environmental apathy, which we explore in depth. In particular, we find a belief in a rigid hierarchy of God, humans, and then the environment; a belief in the sovereignty of God; and evangelical eschatological beliefs help generate narratives of environmental apathy. There are different environmental narratives, between the two congregations, that are framed in terms of political affiliation and socioeconomic status. But we find little evidence to suggest that religious beliefs foster different environmental attitudes across the two congregations. We conclude with future research directions and implications for those who wish to foster environmental concern among Evangelicals.

An investigation on value orientations, attitudes and concern towards the environment: the case of Turkish elementary school students

Environmental attitudes depend on the relative importance that individuals attach to themselves, other people, or all living things. These distinct bases have been found to predict environmental concern, and may act as statistically significant determinants of pro-environmental behaviours. We claim that examining the complex nature of value orientations and concern levels among elementary school students as well as the interrelationships between these attributes could guide researchers and educators in Turkey. This study aimed (1) to explore Turkish elementary students’ ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes, and environmental apathy; (2) to investigate their egoistic, altruistic and biospheric value orientations as well as their environmental concerns; (3) to examine relationships among environment-related attributes and (4) to determine the role of gender on these attributes. Participants seemed to be highly concerned and held favourable ecocentric attitudes. Furthermore, students with higher levels of anthropocentric attitudes tended to exhibit higher levels of environmental apathy, and those expressing biospheric concerns held lower levels of egoistic concerns. The findings suggest that girls were significantly more concerned about environmental problems and tended to value nature more for its own sake than boys.

Exploring the dimensions of environmental concern. An integrative proposal

This paper proposes a theoretically integrated structure made up of four dimensions pertaining to environmental concern: apathy, anthropocentrism, connectedness and emotional affinity. These four dimensions are distributed along a gradient that reflects the inclusion of nature in the self. This proposal is empirically supported by a study conducted with 514 university students. The tool created is able to measure the respective dimensions of environmental concern and analyze their relationship with a measurement of pro-environmental behaviour. The main findings indicate that a high level of inclusion of nature in the self is expressed through high scores for connectedness and emotional affinity, whereas the relationships are inverted in the case of anthropocentrism and environmental apathy. A similar pattern is observed in relation to pro-environmental behaviour. Some of the implications are discussed with regard to cognitive/affective differentiation in the dimensions of environmental concern.

Epidemiological Intelligence for Grazing Management in Strategic Control of Parasitic Gastroenteritis in Small Ruminants in India – A Review

Because of the environmental and consumer concerns arising out of exponential growth in human population the world over, a term Sustainable Development has become an integral international concept, which is defined as one which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Ruminant animals appear sustainable as they do not compete with man for food, play a crucial role in the conversion of low quality plant material and crop residues to high quality human food as well as return valuable plant nutrients to the soil. Parasite control in ruminant livestock is a first-order input in any sustainable animal production system. As sustainable development is a compromise between reducing environmental degradation and positive economic growth, sustainable parasite control should aim towards less intensive, lower input, lesser risk of parasite induced losses with greater opportunities for integration of all available control resources. The compound scenario of rising anthelmintic resistance, food and environmental security and apathy of the pharmaceutical industry to go for the invention of new anthelmintic compounds has triggered the need for optimising the use of available anthelmintics with integration of all other alternative means for sustainable worm control. The “Sustainable Control of Parasitic Gastroenteritis in Ruminants” is thus encompasses a multidisciplinary approach involving integration of chemotherapy, grazing management, biological control, worm vaccines, genetic resistance of hosts, mathematical model based decision support and other strategies, if any. There is no single requirement more crucial to the rational and sustainable control of helminth parasites in grazing animals than a comprehensive knowledge of the epidemiology of the parasite as it interacts with the host in a specific climatic, management and production environment. In its absence, anthelmintic treatment is either given suppressively which provokes resistance or therapeutically which risks clinical disease and production losses. Sustainable parasite-control programmes require knowledge of seasonal larval availability, origin of larvae contributing to any peaks and climatic requirements for worm egg hatching, larval development and survival. Control measures based on this knowledge include strategic anthelmintic treatments and various forms of grazing management. While these measures can reduce the frequency of anthelmintic treatment required, their effect on selection for drench resistance is more problematical, unless they can be combined with other forms of control to reduce our current dependence on anthelmintics. The present article deals with sustainable nematode parasite control in small ruminants in India through grazing management using epidemiological intelligence.

Past connections and present similarities in slave ownership and fossil fuel usage

The first part of the paper demonstrates the connection between the abolition of slavery and the Industrial Revolution: steam power changed the perception of labour; new techniques facilitated diffusion of pro-abolition pamphlets; fewer threats to basic existence resulting from industrial advances fostered sensibilities and moral standards toward abolitionism; and, through industrial development, the North grasped victory in the American Civil War. The second part presents similarities between societies in the past that have used slave labour and those in the present that use fossil fuels. It argues that slaves and fossil-fuelled machines play(ed) similar economic and social roles: both slave societies and developed countries externalise(d) labour and both slaves and modern machines free(d) their owners from daily chores. Consequently, we are as dependent on fossil fuels as slave societies were dependent on bonded labour. It also suggests that, in differing ways, suffering resulting (directly) from slavery and (indirectly) from the excessive burning of fossil fuels are now morally comparable. When we emit carbon dioxide at a rate that exceeds what the ecosystem can absorb, when we deplete non-renewable resources, we indirectly cause suffering to other human beings. Similarly, cheap oil facilitates imports of goods from countries with little social protection and hence help externalise oppression. The conclusion draws on the lessons which may be learned by Climate Change campaigners from the campaigns to abolish slavery: environmental apathy can be opposed effectively if we learn from what worked in the fight against this inhuman institution.

Women Engaging the Natural World: Motivation for Sensory Pleasure May Account for Gender Differences

Abstract Previous literature has investigated gender differences associated with environmental values and attitudes, often finding that women report attitudes and values that are more pro-environmental and activities that are more engaging with nature. These findings have spawned research into factors that might explain such gender differences. We explore the role of a new construct, the motivation for sensory pleasure (MSP), and how it furthers the understanding of gender disparities among environmental value orientations (ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, apathy) and reported nature-related behaviors. MSP is considered an individual disposition characteristic that measures the human need to seek out and enjoy nature-related experiences through the senses (vision, hearing, olfaction, touch). A comparison of college student samples (200 women, 190 men) found that women scored higher on ecocentrism and MSP and lower on environmental apathy. Higher MSP scores related to taking more nature hikes and fewer month...

Proenvironmental Value Orientation Across Cultures

The present study develops and validates a German and Russian scale of proenvironmental value orientation. Proenvironmental value orientation is conceptualized as a four-dimensional construct, entailing egocentric, ecocentric, and anthropocentric value orientations as well as environmental apathy. The first stage of the research is an expert test of indicator content validity. In a subsequent step, the authors provide evidence of internal consistency for a student sample (N = 223) and for the structural equivalence and criterion validity for a representative sample (N = 430). The structure of proenvironmental value orientation appears to be largely equivalent in both cultures, though the behavioral relevance of the dimensions differs. In the Russian sample, proenvironmental behavioral intention correlates with any of the four dimensions, whereas in Germany, anthropocentric value orientation does not relate to behavioral intention.