Unsustainable Behavior Research Articles

Moving Society to a Sustainable Future: The Framing of Sustainability in a Constructive Media Outlet

ABSTRACTNews reporting on sustainability has been criticized for (1) having a limited coverage of solutions, (2) reporting on solutions with a negative bias, (3) being dominated by sources from government and mainstream business, and (4) promoting frames that prioritize the role of the market and techno-scientific solutions, which leave unchallenged the unsustainable behavior of consumer societies and the focus on economic growth. This study was the first to examine how sustainability is reported in a constructive media outlet and found that articles (1) consistently elaborated solutions, (2) described them in optimistic ways, (3) quoted various sources, and (4) developed a frame that challenged consumerism and critiqued society’s preoccupation with growth while helping to imagine a desirable sustainable future. It is thus argued that this novel, constructive approach to journalism can help move society to a sustainable future by expanding the repertoire of culturally-resonant stories to live by.

Pride in my past: Influencing sustainable choices through behavioral recall

AbstractEmotional appraisal research has demonstrated that recalling a past behavior and its associated emotions can influence future behavior. However, how such recalled emotions shape sustainable consumer choice has not been examined. This study examines the role of recalled pride and guilt in shaping sustainable purchase intentions and the mediating role of anticipated pride and guilt. A conceptual model is proposed for motivating sustainable purchase intentions through the emotions associated with the behavioral recall. The model is applied in two experiments with online consumers examining purchase intentions of low carbon cars. Recalling feelings of pride associated with a past sustainability‐related behavior increases sustainable purchase intention, as compared with a neutral recall. This effect occurs through the mediation of both anticipated pride at the prospect of a sustainable behavior choice and anticipated guilt if the future choice is not sustainable. Similar hypotheses relating to recalled guilt at past unsustainable behavior were not supported. The study contributes to research on sustainable consumption, revealing an emotional route by which past behavior can influence future behavior. It also adds to emotional appraisal research by showing the role of specific self‐conscious emotions in forming this route, as prior research has focused more broadly on emotional valence.

Spirituality, Universal Love and Sustainable Behavior

Sustainability is a hot topic widely discussed in many circles of academics, professionals and policy makers worldwide. Technological, institutional and infrastructural changes are often considered to be effective measures in achieving sustainability goals. No doubt all such external changes are necessary; however, they remain inadequate without inner changes that make individual behaviour sustainable. This study points out that the root causes of our unsustainable behaviour is our perceived separateness from fellow human beings and the natural environment, which results in self-centeredness, greed and fear. Research findings in neuroscience suggest that the perceived separateness is an illusion created by our brain. Nevertheless, the brain itself is endowed with the capacity to overcome this separateness by Universal Love. Spirituality is about re-wiring the brain to realize this capacity. Most spiritual practices, both religious and non-religious, represent different methods to achieve this goal.

Spirituality, Universal Love and Sustainable Behaviour

Sustainability is a hot topic widely discussed in many circles of academics, professionals and policy makers worldwide. Technological, institutional and infrastructural changes are often considered to be effective measures in achieving sustainability goals. No doubt all such external changes are necessary; however, they remain inadequate without inner changes that make individual behaviour sustainable. This study points out that the root causes of our unsustainable behaviour is our perceived separateness from fellow human beings and the natural environment, which results in self-centeredness, greed and fear. Research findings in neuroscience suggest that the perceived separateness is an illusion created by our brain. Nevertheless, the brain itself is endowed with the capacity to overcome this separateness by Universal Love. Spirituality is about re-wiring the brain to realize this capacity. Most spiritual practices, both religious and non-religious, represent different methods to achieve this goal.

Navigating cognition biases in the search of sustainability.

We provide a conceptual review of the available knowledge on the role of human cognition biases for sustainability and sustainable behavior. Human cognition biases are defined as any deviation in decision making from the standard framework of rational choice. We distinguish between biases in individual decision making and biases in group decision making, and highlight the relevance of each for sustainable behavior. We find that while both categories may contribute to unsustainable behavior, human cognition biases in group settings might be central to understanding many of the current sustainability issues. Moreover, we argue that the effects of group-related biases may outweigh those on the individual level in driving unsustainable behavior, and that biases that have been discussed under various labels in the literature can be interpreted as manifestations of human cognition biases in group settings.

Temporal myopia in sustainable behavior under uncertainty

Consumers in today's world are confronted with the alarming consequences of unsustainable behavior such as pollution and resource degradation. In addition, they are facing increases in uncertainty due to external events such as economic crises and terror attacks. These two problems are central to consumers' lives, occur on a global scale, and have significant impact on the world's political, economic, environmental, and social landscapes. Contributing to research on persuasion and pro-social behavior, we show in four studies, conducted online, in the lab, and in the field, that these two problems are interconnected. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that uncertainty leads to lower levels of sustainable behavior in comparison to certainty. Study 2 reveals in addition that this is due to the display of higher levels of temporal discounting under uncertainty (i.e., adopting a more immediate orientation). Finally, Studies 3 and 4 show that emphasizing the immediate benefits of sustainability during uncertainty reverses the negative effect and leads consumers to act more sustainably. Overall, these findings provide valuable implications for policy makers and responsible marketers.

Propuesta de un marco educativo para una sociedad sostenible

Society has long been tracing a path that it is incompatible with the preservation of healthy natural ecosystems. This behavior is characterized by an anthropocentric view of our place in the biosphere, that it is implicit in the very definition of the sustainability concept. In addition, a consumerist social paradigm deepens in our unsustainable behavior. In order to take the sustainability path it would be necessary to act upon both attributes of our society, favoring an ecocentric view of our place in the biosphere and taking over the consumerist paradigm shift. In this article it is proposed that those changes are only possible through education, and its aim is to endorse people with the skills, attitudes and values necessary to identify the societal problems as self problems and undertake the necessary transformations. To achieve this, it is proposed an educational framework, constituted by axioms that are implemented under an epistemological and ethical umbrella, that promotes the design of the necessary educational actions. The axioms have been designed with the intention of awakening students' environmental awareness, their social participation, gender cooperation and the rational use of technology. In this process it is proposed the functional logic of complex systems as the basis of an epistemology that will contribute to knowledge acquisition. This will lead to a deep learning, in opposition to a surface learning characteristic of today’s education, and to a correct interpretation of the designed educational experiences. Finally, it would be necessary to accept a non-discriminating humanitarianism ethic that will assign intrinsic values to the natural environment. This axiomatic, epistemological and ethical system will generate educational experiences leading to a transforming deep learning, and compatible with a sustainable view of society.

Sourcing Organic Cotton from African Countries Potentials and Risks for the Apparel Industry Supply Chain

Abstract Sustainability is a contributor to competitive advantage and a potential key to increase market shares in the saturated apparel sector. Managing supply chains environmentally and socially sustainable is a way to prevent from being associated with the many negative examples in the industry that are presented on a regular basis by NGOs and media. In order to avoid negative consequences from unsustainable behavior of suppliers, sustainability needs to be propagated to upstream partners in the supply chain. The paper at hand illustrates opportunities to strengthen sustainability in apparel supply chains. Based on a systematic review of related literature, a taxonomy of apparel supply chains is derived and sustainability aspects are identified. A particular focus is put on finding alternative sources such as organic cotton from Africa. The presented study represents a basis to stimulate future research on sustainable apparel supply chains. Practitioners may find innovative approaches to improve supply chain sustainability.

The Long Term Impact of A Rainforest Experience on Chinese Students’ Pro-Environmental Identity and Behavior in Macau

The phenomenological case study covers the limited research on Chinese students‟ experiences of nature in a tropical rainforest in Thailand. Macau is a very small place with only 20 % of natural resources remaining but Chinese students are born to be detached from these natural environments. Their comfortable lifestyle leads to a rise of unsustainable behavior such as an increased in consumption and household waste. With numerous researches that review the benefits of nature including an enhancement in environmental friendly behavior, a 7 d self-funded experiential learning program in a tropical rainforest in Thailand in 2015 was initiated in fostering 12 Chinese students‟ pro-environmental identity and behavior. Findings show the majority of students‟ pro-environmental identity and behavior is enhanced and they are trying to reconnect with the natural environment more often than before.

Averaging bias in environmental impact estimates: Evidence from the negative footprint illusion

In this paper we argue that unsustainable behaviors often stem from a common averaging bias when people estimate the environmental impact of a set of environmentally friendly and less friendly objects or actions. In Experiment 1, we show that people believe that the total carbon footprint of a category of items (a community of buildings in this case) is lower, rather than higher, when environmentally friendly (“green” buildings) items are added to the category, a negative footprint illusion. Experiment 2 showed that the carbon footprint estimate assigned to a category with a mix of environmentally friendly and less friendly objects (“green” and conventional buildings) is the average of its subsets (the “green” buildings and the conventional buildings, respectively), an averaging bias. A similar averaging process may underpin estimates of the environmental impact of people's own actions, explaining why people believe that environmentally friendly actions can compensate for less friendly actions.

Apple Tax - The Core Issues

The corporation is one of a number of market actors which create value but at the same time can and ought to behave in ways which are economically sustainable. In the context of this paper this means that corporate actions ought to satisfy the economic needs necessary for stable and resilient societies. There is a clear imperative that multinational companies are not governed by an agenda dominated by a notional concept of ‘shareholder primacy’ which will lead to many unsustainable behaviours including the aggressive avoidance of tax liabilities. Whilst the problems associated with the concept of ‘shareholder primacy’ have been well documented, it is entirely plausible that there are other dynamics at play in relation to understanding corporate actions. This paper will address this hypothesis regarding additional motivations when it considers corporate culture. Aggressive avoidance of tax liabilities on the part of multinational corporations has been the focus of considerable work by the OECD reflected in its Report on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project (Final Report) 2015.

The empowered consumer

The sphere of Consumer Social Responsibilty is of particular relevance considering the increasing environmental problems connected to consumers’ irresponsibility. Nevertheless, even responsible consumers often show a high divergence between attitude and behaviour regarding responsible consumption, the so-called Attitude-Behaviour-Gap. In this context, this article aims to advance the understanding of the social responsibility of consumers and the related Attitude-Behaviour Gap with its influencing factors. The review serves as the basis for a single source, cross-sectional survey which aims to assess the Attitude-Behaviour Gap affecting plastic bag consumption. The study reveals the existence of the gap and a statistically significant impact of various influencing factors. Based on the theoretical and empirical context, it can be concluded that the gap between attitudes towards sustainability and unsustainable behaviour is a crucial and complex area of research, which suggests the need for further and more extensive study.

It's the Psychology, Stupid!! Understanding Human Cognition Biases to Inform Sustainable Behavior

We synthesize and discuss the available knowledge on the role of human cognition biases for sustainability and sustainable behavior. Human cognition biases are defined as any deviation in decision making from the standard framework of rational choice. We distinguish between biases in individual decision making and biases in group decision making, and highlight the relevance of each for sustainable behavior. We find that while both categories contribute to unsustainable behavior, human cognition biases in group settings are central to understanding many of the current sustainability issues. Moreover, we argue that the effects of group-related biases may outweigh those on the individual level in driving unsustainable behavior, and that biases that have been discussed under various labels in the literature can be interpreted as manifestations of human cognition biases in group settings.

The failure to achieve sustainability may be in our genes

ABSTRACTBelief in human exceptionalism—the idea that humans are not bound by the same evolutionary constraints and biophysical limitations as other organisms—is rampant in society. To ignore human nature in favor of such a constructivist perspective is foolhardy because it compromises prospects for achieving sustainability. Human activity already exceeds Earth's long-term carrying-capacity, yet many governments and ordinary citizens alike are focused on fostering a new round of material growth. Few academics pay more than lip service to the causal drivers behind such unsustainable behavior. In particular, the sociological model for dealing with overshoot focuses on the shortcomings of social institutions, effectively decoupling the problem from H.sapiens' innate expansionist tendencies and such instinctive drives as competition for social status, mates, territory, and other resources. Understanding human unsustainability depends as much on insights from the behavioral and biological sciences as from the social sciences. Merging bioevolutionary, psychological, and sociological explanations into a unified framework is an essential step in moderating human (over)consumption. Humanity is now dangerously close to global collapse; as academics we have the obligation to investigate humanity's unsustainability conundrum through an interdisciplinary lens and apply our new understanding to solving global and local problems before solutions become moot.

Is sustainability knowledge half the battle?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of sustainability knowledge to pro-environmental behaviour. A common misperception is that unsustainable behaviours are largely driven by a lack of knowledge of the underlying societal costs and the contributing factors leading to environmental degradation. Such a perception assumes if individuals “only knew better” they would engage in more sustainable behaviours. The “knowledge deficit model” has been critiqued for not including social psychological research about how knowledge is incorporated into decision-making and its subsequent effect on human behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model has been used extensively to examine intention to engage in a variety of behaviours, therefore this model is applied to examine the effect knowledge has in predicting behaviour.Design/methodology/approachTo better understand these relationships, the authors examined the relationships between sustainability behaviours through an online survey of over 500 students at a large university in the USA.FindingsResults indicate that knowledge had a significant, albeit weak, bivariate correlation with behaviour (r= 0.113,p< 0.001). However, when controlling for TPB variables (attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control), knowledge was not a significant predictor of behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors conclude with several implications to guide university sustainability programmes.Originality/valueThis study places sustainable knowledge in the context of other social psychological factors which also influence behaviour. The results show that as the students are educated about sustainability, fostering behaviour change will require education not only about how actions affect sustainability but also about social norms, attitudes towards sustainable behaviours and the level of self-efficacy in doing those behaviours.

Learning about Sustainability—What Influences Students’ Self-Perceived Sustainability Actions after Undergraduate Education?

Changing societies’ minds about sustainability requires knowledge about the situation, awareness of what needs to be done and actions to change today’s unsustainable behaviors. Universities are challenged to develop students’ ability to appreciate the complexities of sustainability and translate sustainability knowledge of education into systemic, anticipatory and critical thinking and actions. To meet this challenge, universities provide specific study programs and courses and integrate sustainability in education and activities. There is limited research on the results of such efforts from a student perspective. The study focused on an identical cohort of 108 undergraduate students who answered a survey about their self-perceived knowledge, awareness and actions before and after their studies in a Swedish university. All 108 students had sustainability integrated into their study programs; forty-eight also attended specific sustainability courses. The test model explains variations in students’ self-perceived sustainability actions at the end of their studies. There were differences already in students’ initial self-perceived knowledge between the groups. The students’ female gender, self-perceived initial actions, studying sustainability courses as well as the increase in self-perceived sustainability knowledge contribute significantly to the later sustainability actions. The results show student development, which can encourage those working with education for sustainable development in universities.

Droplets boiling crisis of ethanol water solution on duralumin substrate with SiO2 nanoparticles coating

Boiling crisis and evaporation of droplets of ethanol water solution on a horizontal ceramic heating surface were studied experimentally. The experiment was performed on duralumin substrate with SiO2. The coating was obtained by nanoparticles plasma spraying. Measurements of the contact angle of the aqueous solution onto the ceramic surface were performed. Most evaporation relates to an increase in the area of the wetting droplet surface and only 10–20% of evaporation relates to the effect of diffusion and change in the thermal–physical coefficients. Maximal instability of the bubble microlayer for alcohol solution with C0=20–40mass% is observed. The critical heat flux behaves non-monotonously at a change in alcohol concentration in solution, and there are two extremes. The maximal value of sustainability coefficient at evaporation of droplets of ethanol solution corresponds to alcohol concentration of 20–30mass%. Concentration gradient leads to instability of a triple contact line at the bubble bottom and a decrease in the dry spot area; this promotes higher critical heat flux levels (CHF). The behavior of a binary mixture depends not only on the Marangoni effect at the droplet edges, as thought previously, but also on the unsustainable behavior of the bubbles contact line. The heat transfer coefficient of ethanol solution in the spheroidal state decreases with a rise of wall overheating and spheroid diameter. Experimental dependence of the vapor layer height on wall overheating at boiling crisis was derived. The height of this layer (60–80μm) at Leidenfrost temperature manifold exceeds the surface microroughness value (1–1.5μm).

“Take a gap year!” A social practice perspective on air travel and potential transitions towards sustainable tourism mobility

ABSTRACT It is widely recognized that contemporary tourism mobility, notably flying, is incompatible with sustainability goals. Fundamental changes in travel behaviour are required. Research shows that environmental values have little impact on tourists' travel decisions and that voluntary behaviour change is unlikely. Therefore, policies encouraging transitions to sustainable tourism require a deeper and more context-specific understanding of factors influencing current carbon-intensive travel patterns. This paper responds to this need by adopting a social practice perspective to explore the gap year phenomenon, an increasingly popular activity for the British youth, often involving multiple long-haul flights. The social practice approach positions young people's travel decisions as not being simply individual, but shaped by existing conventions, normative expectations and facilitated/constrained by available resources. The paper draws on the findings from a multi-sited ethnographic study in England, which involved over 30 in-depth interviews with students and other relevant actors, content analysis of gap year materials and participant observation at gap year-related events. Social influences that shape the current long-haul character of gap year travel are examined, and a number of important actors involved in developing, sustaining and reproducing unsustainable behaviours are identified. The implications for policy strategies aimed at changing mobility behaviour are discussed.

Relevant Factors in Sustainable Urban Development of Urban Planning Methodology and Implementation of Concepts for Sustainable Planning (Planning Documentation for the Master Plan Skopje 2001–2020)

Cities as complex and multilayer systems are part of a sustainable policy, because they are huge consumers of resources and show signs of unsustainable behavior. Researchers and planners are therefore encouraged to think about the city that will focus on self-regulation. That is what challenges this research. This paper explores the relationship between urban development and sustainable development through the relevant factors and indicators in the methodology of sustainable urban planning. The knowledge obtained should help methods for encourage urban planning and to systematize the concepts of sustainable urban development and operationalization in documentation and development of the city of Skopje.

SMART social science? Examining the nature and role of social scientific expertise in institutional design

Daniel Bromley argues against Oran Young’s FIT model as a basis for environmental governance, on the grounds that humans cannot manage nature and that attempts to do so are based on a scientistic, modernist conceit. At issue is the role of natural and social scientists in adjudicating questions about what we ought to do to close governance gaps and address unsustainable behaviors. If Bromley is right, then the lessons of the American pragmatist tradition recommend against attempts to “fit” social institutions to the natural world. The first objective of this paper is to argue that Bromley’s view is not in keeping with the pragmatism of C. S. Peirce and John Dewey, which actually places a high value on natural and social scientific modes of inquiry in the service of social ends. I argue that Young’s proposal is in fact a development of the pragmatist idea that social institutions must be fit in the sense of fitness, i.e., resilient and able to navigate uncertainty. Social institutions must also evolve to accommodate the emerging values of the agents who operate within them. The second objective of this paper is to examine the role of social science expertise in the design of social policies. Governance institutions typically rely on the testimony of natural scientists, at least in part, to understand the natural systems they operate within. However, natural systems are also social systems, so it seems pertinent to ask whether there is a role for social systems experts to play in helping to design environmental governance institutions. I argue that social scientists can make a unique contribution as experts on social institutions, and as such, are necessary to bring about a transformation of the unsustainable institutions that are preventing us from achieving stated sustainable development goals.