Pro-environmental Policy Research Articles

Perceived responsibility to address climate change consistently relates to increased pro-environmental attitudes, behaviors and policy support: Evidence across 23 countries

Extant theoretical and empirical work posits that perceptions of responsibility are crucial antecedents of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. However, the degree to which this association exists reliably, across nations, and across different proenvironmental outcomes (self-reports of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and policy support), as well as the degree to which national-level factors influence variability in such perceptions, has received less attention. To shed light on this inquiry, we utilized data from the eighth round of the European Social Survey, collected across 23 countries (N = 44,387). Utilizing multilevel and meta-analytical regressions we find that perceived responsibility to address climate change relates to 10 different pro-environmental outcomes. This association was seemingly stronger and more consistent for climate change beliefs (i.e., anthropogenic causes, acceptance, concern), proenvironmental policy support, and behavioral intentions, but not for knowledge-specific beliefs, such as the use of (non-)renewable energy. Further, 12% of variance in perceived responsibility to address climate change was explained by national factors. We conclude that additional cross-national and experimental work is required to better understand the (causal) influence of perceptions of responsibility on proenvironmental behaviors and the degree to which national factors influence this association.

Towards environmental sustainability: Do financial risk and external conflicts matter?

The progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) needs constant updating and deepening to improve the design of pro-environmental policies. In this context, recent studies report various drivers of ecological footprint (EF) for better climate control; however, the impacts of financial risk (FNR) and external conflicts (EXF) on EF are not thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this research uncovers the role of financial risk and external conflicts in EF using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) based model. To this end, some advanced time series methods including the Augmented ARDL (AARDL) and Spectral causality tests are applied for the period from 1984 to 2017 in the context of India. The empirical estimates revealed cointegration among variables of the study. The findings uncovered that reducing financial risk mitigates EF levels and stimulates environmental quality. However, limiting external conflicts does not improve the quality of the environment because the EF levels expand due to a reduction in conflicts. The empirical evidence validated the EKC accounting for both financial risks and external conflicts. Population density is found to alleviate environmental deterioration. Moreover, external conflicts and financial risks Granger cause EF. Lastly, policies are directed to limit the financial risk for reducing the EF.

EMPLOYEE ECOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR AS MEDIATOR IN THE EFFECT OF GREEN CULTURE ON EMPLOYEES’ GREEN SATISFACTION

The topic of Employee Ecological Behaviour (EEB) is gaining the attention of academics and practitioners, specifically on factors influencing it and the outcomes it leads. Despite an increasing number of recent studies on various green management practices and the competitive advantage they offer, the number of studies on EEB among academic staff is currently limited. Due to this, this paper aims to assess the effect of Green Culture (GC) on Green Satisfaction (GS) through the mediation of the ecological behaviour of academic staff in Malaysian public research universities. The Social Exchange Theory (SET) describes the association between GC, GS, and EEB. This cross-sectional study investigates how GC affects the GS of academic staff through EEB in Malaysian public research universities. A total of 299 valid responses were gathered and analysed using Smart PLS. The findings prove that green culture influences green satisfaction through the full mediation of EEB. The present study only focuses on academic staff in local public research universities. For future works, it is suggested to consider other factors that could facilitate the relationship between GC and GS. Policymakers can use the findings to understand the importance of green practices and develop a robust pro-environmental policy. It is believed that no prior study has attempted to use EEB as a mediator between GC and GS.

DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FARMING AND ITS ENVIRONMENT IN POLAND IN THE LIGHT OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL CHALLENGES

The aim of European Green Deal (EGD) is to implement a pro-environmental and pro-climate policy, which should be translated into economic practice. EGD concerns agriculture, including organic, hence the importance of recognizing the current path of development of this management system and future prospects. The aim of this paper is illustration of current challenges in organic farming and its environment in Poland, taking into account European strategic and market goals. The population of organic farms and other organic entities operating in this segment were analyzed. The period covered 2004-2020, and data of Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection and Statistics Poland. Indicator analysis methods were used and trends were established. A comparison of the statistics for 2020 and 2004 showed the development of organic farming in Poland, taking into account the farms’ number and the agricultural land in organic system. The period 2004-2020 was not homogeneous, and the last years can be considered as a period of stagnation. In the adopted perspective, the production profile of organic farms changed, which more and more often carried out only crop production, omitting livestock production. The further development of organic farming will be an important challenge, also taking into account the level of development of the market environment of organic farms, in particular the number of processors and operators involved in the supply of certified seed. The main determinant of the development of organic farming in Poland was, and in the next few years probably will be, the institutional factory.

Biocapacity convergence clubs in Latin America: an analysis of their determining factors using quantile regressions.

Latin America experiences an increasing urban primacy index and a rapid expansion of the financial system, putting direct pressure on the demand for resources to satisfy the consumption of large cities. We investigate the convergence of per capita biocapacity in 16 Latin America countries and evaluate the factors that influence its evolution over time. Specifically, we analyze the impact of the urban primacy index, economic progress, and the financial globalization index on the convergence of per capita biocapacity. We use the methodological framework developed by Phillips and Sul Econometrica 75:1771-1855, (2007) to analyze the convergence and the formation of convergence clubs of biocapacity during 1970-2017. The findings indicate that the countries of the region do not share a common trend of biocapacity, although they are grouped into five converging clubs. Biocapacity transition analysis reveals that countries have heterogeneous transition pathways between them. Using marginal effects, we find that the urban primacy index and economic progress reduce the biocapacity. The effect of the financial globalization index on biocapacity is not conclusive. The quantile regressions reveal that quantiles' impact of the urban primacy index and financial globalization on per capita biocapacity is heterogeneous. However, the effect of economic progress on biocapacity that predominates among quantiles is positive. The adoption of common policies among the countries that form the converging clubs could improve the effectiveness of pro-environmental policies and promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to environmental quality.

Forest Area: Old and New Factors That Affect Its Dynamics

The analysis of the nexus between environmental degradation and economic progress has focused on polluting emissions. However, the forest area plays a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related to the environment. Forest area is directly related to air and water quality and the absorption of polluting residues. At the same time, in recent decades, economic progress processes have been internationalised and knowledge has improved in the context of persistent income inequality. The objective of this research is evidence that economic progress is destroying nature; for this, we use forest area as a measure of environmental quality. The nexus between the two variables is moderated by the globalisation KOF index, income inequality, and knowledge. Using non-linear methods, we find a threshold effect in globalisation, inequality, and economic progress. This result implies that before the threshold, the impact of the covariates differs from the impact after the threshold, generating findings different from those shown by the previous environmental literature. The results reveal that after a threshold, the impact of economic progress on forest area is negative. This fact reveals that the main obstacle to achieving environmental sustainability is in the least developed countries, where inequality and globalisation reinforce the degradation of the forest area. We find that knowledge is a mechanism to prevent deforestation, particularly in more developed countries. Those responsible for pro-environmental policy should promote global strategies to prevent economic progress from being based on the destruction of nature.

Environmental Knowledge and Policy Sustainability: A Study of Pro Environmental Policy Support among the Southeast Nigerian Rural Communities

Environmental policy sustainability as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda has appeared as one of the challenges to most developing nations such as Nigeria. This inadvertently has affected (SDG) agenda in Nigeria. Although many scholars have given attention to other dimensions of socio-economic policies/natural environment, the case of environmental policy sustainability has received virtually no attention in some regions such as southeast Nigeria. The study aptly captured the context of human behavioural disposition towards environmental knowledge and policy sustainability among the rural population in southeast Nigeria in the framework of Symbolic Interactionism/Environmental Responsible Behaviour, with the support of survey data. The study involved 1200 respondents from rural communities, while data collected through questionnaire instrument were analyzed using inferential statistics. The findings show strong positive correlation between familiarity with ecological harmony and support to pro public environmental policy (rho= .84, n= 1200, p<0.01), knowledge of the natural environment and support to pro public environmental policy (rho= .87, n= 1200, p<0.01), while environmental policy sustainability can be predicted by some crucial socio-demographic factors (p<.000). By implication, knowledge of the operation of the natural environment and government policy approaches and dimensions should be encouraged among the rural communities in the region.

Be Good to Your Mother (Earth): The Relationship between Anthropomorphising Nature, Financial Insecurity, and Support for Pro-environmental Policies in the Context of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Anthropomorphism of nature is known to be related to pro-environmental outcomes; however, little is known about these variables in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The economic impact of the prolonged lockdowns may disrupt the historical relationship between these variables, as financial insecurity may compete with environmental concerns for consideration. This study examined the relationship between anthropomorphism of nature the context of COVID-19, and pro-environmental support, and the potential moderating role of financial insecurity in this relationship. It was hypothesised that anthropomorphism of nature in the context of COVID-19 would have a lesser effect on pro-environmental support for individuals who experienced financial insecurity during the pandemic. Participants (N=615; Mage=48.71, SDage=17.50; 70% female) completed self-report measures of anthropomorphism of nature, anthropomorphism of nature in the context of COVID-19, financial insecurity, and a measure of support for pro-environmental policies in the economic recovery from COVID-19. Results demonstrated that, after controlling for general anthropomorphism of nature, anthropomorphism of nature in the context of COVID-19 predicted pro-environmental support (R2 = .05, F(4, 610) = 8.36, p < .001). However, contrary to expectation, pro-environmental support was higher in those experiencing financial insecurity compared to those who were financially secure (B = -2.65, BootSE= .93, p = .004, 95% BootCI [-4.47, -.83]). Financial insecurity also did not moderate the relationship between anthropomorphism of nature in the COVID-19 context and pro-environmental support. Furthermore, the general tendency to anthropomorphise nature was not a significant predictor of support for pro-environmental policies. These findings have important implications for understandings of anthropomorphism, financial insecurity, and environmental protection as well as for public policy on economic recovery in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Coronavirus Pandemic on Ecological Security and the Development of International Environmental Policy

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the global economy. In 2020, due to the pandemic, many countries experienced an economic recession, an increase in unemployment, a decline in the economic activity of numerous companies and enterprises, and, consequently, an economic crisis. Due to the decline in economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 a decrease in the level of environmental pollution took place. However, this decline was short-term and relatively small. Therefore, the pandemic did not slow the process of global warming. Scientific research dedicated to climate change shows that the global warming process has commenced a strong upward trend. In order to slow down the ever faster global warming process, it is necessary to reduce all or most of greenhouse gas emissions in the shortest time possible, including through the development of renewable energy sources. The global socio-economic crisis caused by the development of the COVID-19 pandemic should significantly change the pro-ecological awareness of people and the need to implement sustainable development in economic processes and everyday functioning of people. In the first half of November 2021, the UN Climate Summit COP26 Climate Conference was held in Glasgow, Scotland. To save the climate and biosphere of planet Earth, it is crucial what we will do in the decade of the 20s of the current twenty-first century. These issues were raised during the debates and discussions held during the abovementioned UN Climate Summit COP26. However, the declarations made by individual countries of the world regarding the calendar of achieving zero emissions indicate that the subject is not treated very seriously by governments in many countries. It is necessary to increase international cooperation in the implementation of global pro-environmental policy.

Measuring the efficiency of energy planning under uncertainty

This paper proposes an optimization method for energy planning that will efficiently meet multiple requirements subject to uncertain future projections. A stochastic optimization model is used to identify appropriate energy mixes under various scenarios of uncertainty, and the performance of three different energy policies—a pro-economic policy, a pro-environmental policy, and a governmental plan—is compared. Data envelopment analysis is applied to measure the relative energy efficiency of the optimized energy mixes in providing energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability. Thailand’s power development plan for 2032 is used as a case study to illustrate the approach. Analysis of the case study indicates that the pro-environmental policy is the most efficient of the three policies considered. Empirical results from this study provide quantitative support for policy makers seeking to establish an efficient energy policy to satisfy the three requirements while allowing for a range of future uncertainties.

Are religious individuals against renewables? Exploring religious beliefs and support for government investment in energy transitions in the United States

Religious values and beliefs influence many attitudes relating to the environment, suggesting that they are also likely to shape preferences over energy policy. Several years’ responses from the General Social Survey, a large, nationally representative poll of United States adults, confirm that, in this context, the association between greater religiosity and lesser support for pro-environmental policy extends to questions of energy transition: more fervently religious respondents, and those who more fully endorse fundamentalist interpretations of the Christian Bible, are less likely to support government funding of developing alternative energy sources. This result holds even when accounting for respondents’ broader attitudes towards environmental and science policy. The connection between religiosity on attitudes towards energy policy is more robust in some Christian traditions than others: among Catholics, though not Protestants, it appears even when controlling for broader ideological positions.

A contingent diffusion model of local climate change policy adoption: Evidence from Southern California cities

Climate change policy is an essential driver of urban sustainability, yet minimal research has examined how they emerge and spread across cities in shared metropolitan areas. While policy diffusion or policy mobility theories could explain the aforesaid, much of the international scholarship have not utilized an amalgamation of these two complementary theoretical perspectives. As a result, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the regional dynamics and spillover effects local governments can generate for urban sustainability. This article proposes a contingent diffusion model to examine the intra-regional adoption of local climate action plans within Southern California from 2000 to 2018. We find that neighboring jurisdictions that adopt climate policy increase the likelihood of a home city's adoption. Yet, neighboring effect is contingent on the home city's existing pro-environmental policy propensity. However, in contrast to conventional wisdom, this study finds no evidence that local environmental advocacy groups play a crucial role in the diffusion of municipal climate initiatives. Altogether, the results suggest that a regional diffusion model of policy innovations is more likely successful when adaptive capacity is in place to facilitate green infrastructure. These findings provide implications for policymakers and planners who want to achieve successful spillovers of urban climate policies across local governments.

A Contingent Diffusion Model of Local Climate Change Policy Adoption: Evidence from Southern California Cities

Climate change policy is an essential driver of sustainability, yet minimal research has examined how they emerge and spread across cities in shared metropolitan areas. While policy diffusion or policy mobility theories could explain the aforesaid, much of the international scholarship have not utilized an amalgamation of these two complementary theoretical perspectives. As a result, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the regional dynamics and spillover effects local governments can generate for urban sustainability. This article proposes a contingent diffusion model to examine the intra-regional adoption of local climate action plans within Southern California from 2000 to 2018. We find that neighboring jurisdictions that adopt climate policy increase the likelihood of a home city’s adoption. Yet, neighboring effect is contingent on the home city’s existing pro-environmental policy propensity. In contrast to conventional wisdom, this study finds no evidence that local environmental advocacy groups play a crucial role in the diffusion of municipal climate initiatives. Altogether, the results suggest that a regional diffusion model of policy innovations is more likely successful when adaptive capacity is in place to facilitate green infrastructure. These findings provide implications for urban policymakers who want to achieve successful spillovers of urban climate policies across local governments.

Images of Nature, Nature-Self Representation, and Environmental Attitudes

Prior work suggests that feeling small relative to nature (Nature-Self Size; NSS) and inclusion of nature in the self-concept (INS) are both associated with more pro-environmental attitudes. The present experiment asked whether exposure to stimuli eliciting awe—an emotion often evoked by extraordinary panoramic views of nature, characterized by subjective experience of “small self” and modulation of reliance on stored concepts—leads to increased NSS and/or INS, thereby promoting pro-environmental policy attitudes. Participants in this online experiment were randomly assigned to view photographs of extraordinary panoramic nature scenes, prosaic nature images, desirable foods, or neutral scenes before completing measures of INS, NSS, and support for environmental conservation policies. Analyses revealed that INS significantly mediated the effects of exposure to panoramic nature scenes (versus a neutral control) on pro-environmental policy attitudes; however, the same effect was observed for the prosaic nature and tasty foods images. Results suggest that exposure to awe-eliciting stimuli can promote pro-environmental attitudes via modulation of the self-concept, but this may be due to pleasant affect rather than awe per se. Future research with real-life stimuli and longitudinal designs is needed to further examine the lasting effects of awe and other emotional states on the self-concept and associated environmental attitudes.

The messenger matters: environmental nonprofit organisations’ public faces, information recipients’ worldviews, and the credibility of ENPOs’ disclosed policy information

AbstractEnvironmental nonprofit organisations (ENPOs) have become crucial policy actors who have undertaken information campaigns to attract public attention and to gain public support for policies. However, the credibility of policy information released by ENPOs is understudied. To fill the gap, this study utilised Douglas and Wildavsky’s cultural theory (CT), to seek answers to two questions: 1) how do ENPOs’ public faces affect public perception of the credibility of the policy information released by their organisations? 2) how do the public’s worldviews affect trust in information released by ENPOs with different types of public faces? The evidence from an online survey confirms what CT predicted: Hierarchs tend to believe information released by policy actors with proper authority; individualists tend to believe information released by policy actors who favour economic growth over environmental protection; egalitarians favour all pro-environmental policy information even if the information is released by noncredible policy actors.

Social and ecological dominance orientations: Two sides of the same coin? Social and ecological dominance orientations predict decreased support for climate change mitigation policies

In this article, we examine the roles of social dominance orientation (SDO) and ecological dominance orientation (EDO) as predictors of climate change risk and threat perceptions and associated pro-environmental policy support. EDO is a novel measure that we devised based on social dominance theory to assess general preferences for an anthropocentric, hierarchical arrangement between humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment. Across two pre-registered studies ( N = 715; USA and Germany) our results indicate that SDO and EDO are uniquely associated with decreased support for climate change mitigation policies benefitting humans, non-human animals, and the natural environment. These relationships in turn are partially mediated by decreased climate change risk and threat perceptions. We successfully replicate our findings using a more behavioral measure as dependent variable. Notably, using a more behavioral measure (Study 2), EDO was significantly associated with pro-environmental behavior but not SDO, when threats are accounted for as mediators.

My company is green, so am I: the relationship between perceived environmental responsibility of organisations and government, environmental self-identity, and pro-environmental behaviours

To reduce environmental problems, citizens, governments, and organisations need to take action to reduce their environmental impact. In the current paper, we tested if and how perceived environmental responsibility of organisations and government is related to pro-environmental behaviour and acceptability of pro-environmental policies among employees, customers, and citizens. We hypothesised that the stronger perceived environmental responsibility of organisations and government, the stronger the environmental self-identity of employees, customers, and citizens because they are a part of that organisation. We hypothesised that a stronger environmental self-identity, in turn, is positively related to a range of pro-environmental actions as well as acceptability of pro-environmental policies. We tested our hypotheses in three studies. We found that a stronger perceived environmental responsibility of organisations is indeed related to a stronger environmental self-identity among employees and customers of the organisation. A stronger environmental self-identity was in turn related to a range of pro-environmental actions. An alternative explanation for our findings is that those with a stronger environmental self-identity are more likely to become a customer at an organisation with a strong perceived environmental responsibility. However, we found support for our hypotheses among those who chose and among those who did not freely choose to be a customer of the organisation, suggesting that the alternative explanation does not fully explain our findings. Furthermore, we found that citizens report a stronger environmental self-identity when perceived environmental responsibility of their government is stronger. A stronger environmental self-identity was in turn related to a higher acceptability of policies aiming to promote energy savings. Our findings are in line with social identity theory, which states that people partly infer how they see themselves based on the groups to which they belong. Furthermore, our findings have important practical implications for organisations and governments aiming to promote pro-environmental behaviour. Specifically, if organisations and government reduce their environmental impact and clearly communicate this, citizens, employees, and customers may also be more likely to do so.

Predictors of global carbon dioxide emissions: Do stringent environmental policies matter?

This study examines potential predictors of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions with a focus on the effect of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s environmental policy stringency measure which is an internationally comparable indicator of the stringency degree of environmental policy instruments. The study uses a 21-year (1995–2015) panel dataset of 15 large greenhouse gas emitter countries distinguished between high-income and middle-income economies. Reflecting both demand- and supply-side determinants of CO2 emissions, the regression model includes control variables such as industrialization, trade openness, income per capita, energy productivity, and international investment. The results show that higher environmental policy stringency does not help in reducing the CO2 emissions, rather, it significantly gives rise to CO2 emissions in the cases of the all sample and middle-income economies. Additional findings provide no support for the presence of the global adjustment pattern of the environmental Kuznets curve since CO2 emissions and income are found positively associated in both high-income and middle-income country groups and the nexus is even higher in magnitude for high-income economies. Increases in the levels of industrialization and trade openness lead to more CO2 emissions, whereas an increase in energy productivity is considerably mitigating the emissions in both high-income and middle-income economies. Inward foreign direct investment stocks are negatively associated with CO2 emissions for middle-income countries, while outward foreign direct investment stocks-CO2 emissions nexus is positive in high-income countries. Overall evidence suggests that CO2 mitigation actions in both middle-income and high-income countries need to encourage energy productivity and redesign pro-environmental policies by considering the industrial structures of countries.

Going Green, but Staying in the Black: How Framing Impacts the Agreement With Messages on the Economic Consequences of Environmental Policies.

Past research suggests that although citizens are generally favorable to pro-environmental policies, their negative economic impact can be a relevant source of concern. In two studies, we investigated the agreement with messages highlighting the positive vs. negative economic impact of a pro-environmental policy (the creation of a protected natural reserve in a lakeside area), as a function of the framing of the policy itself in terms of local relevance (Study 1) and environmental impact (Study 2). In Study 1, participants (N = 514) were citizens of different Italian regions. Results showed that reference to the local (vs. global) relevance of the proposed policy increased the tendency to agree with loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) messages on the economic impact of the policy. In Study 2, participants (N = 500) were a sample of actual lakeside residents from the Garda Lake area in Italy. Results showed that reading messages promoting the policy through stressing the negative consequences of not implementing it (vs. the positive consequences of implementing it) increased the tendency to agree with a subsequent loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) message on the economic impact of the policy. This effect was more evident among participants with stronger place identity. Discussion focuses on the relevance of framing and matching effects in devising persuasive messages on the environmental and economic impact of pro-environmental policies.

Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says about the Environment and Why It Matters

Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says about the Environment and Why It Matters