Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic to combat climate change: comparing drivers of individual action in global crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are two global crises that require collective action. Yet, the inertia typically associated with behavior change to limit climate change stands in contrast to the speed associated with behavior change to stop the spread of COVID-19. Identifying the roots of these differences can help us stimulate climate-friendly behaviors. We assessed the extent to which a number of theory-based drivers underlie behaviors aiming to counter COVID-19 and climate change with an online survey (N = 534). We focused on the role of a number of drivers derived from prominent behavior change theories and meta-analyses in the field, namely, personal threat, threat to close others, threat to vulnerable others, fear, participative efficacy, injunctive and descriptive social norms, and governmental policy perceptions. We investigated (1) what drivers people perceived as most important to engage in behaviors that limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and (2) the strength of the associations between these drivers and engaging in behaviors that limit the spread of the pandemic and climate change. Results highlight three key drivers for climate change action: changing perceptions of governmental policy and perceptions of threat to close others and priming participative efficacy beliefs.

The Impact of Emissions Reduction Awareness on Moral Self-Concept: Sustaining Climate-Friendly Behaviour in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Communication campaigns often highlight environmental progress to encourage further pro-environmental behaviour. Consequently, the drop in carbon emissions caused by the COVID-19 restrictions has been framed as a positive environmental outcome of the pandemic. We conducted an experimental study with a US-representative sample (N = 500) to show that raising awareness of emissions reduction has the contrary effect: an increase in moral self-concept facilitated a negative spillover, namely, it reduced climate-friendly behavioural intentions. Normative influence was able to prevent this negative spillover because activating environmental norms inhibited compensatory feelings. Besides, awareness of recent emissions reduction was less likely to increase the moral self-concept of participants with a strong environmental self-identity. Our findings demonstrate that environmental progress increases moral self-concept which, in turn, could cause a negative spillover (i.e., reduce climate-friendly low-carbon behaviour and increase climate-harmful high-carbon behaviour). Normative influences and environmental self-identity can inhibit this negative spillover.

Determinants of Russian Attitudes Toward a Green Economy During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Background: The development of environmental consciousness is a necessary part of the full development of society. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has increased attention to the problems of man's relationship with nature, and the green behavior of both the consumer and the producer. Attitudes toward a green economy are especially important to study in countries rich in natural resources, as they have more opportunities to overcome the contradictions between economic growth and green innovation. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of Russian attitudes toward a green economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main hypothesis was that demographic factors determine attitudes toward a green economy in different ways, including the willingness to take actions in support of it, and acknowledgement of the connection of the need for green transformations with the pandemic. Design: Subjects were given the questionnaire "Green Economy" which contains 19 statements with which they needed to express their degree of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale. Potential determinants of their attitudes toward a green economy were collected using an additional questionnaire, which included indicators of gender, age, family and professional status, religiosity, income level, education level, and place of residence (locality). The study involved 874 respondents from the Russian Federation (62.4% female; 37.6% male; the average age was 37.34 years). Results: The results of a regression analysis showed that women, people with increased religiosity (but not too religious), younger people, and students and employees of public organizations (as opposed to employees of state and commercial organizations), as well as people from small towns or rural areas, were more positive about the idea of transition to a green economy. Conclusion: The belief that the pandemic situation has reinforced the need for a transition to a green economy was influenced by gender, degree of religiosity, and place of residence. Women, to a greater extent than men, as well as people who were more religious and lived in small towns and rural areas, were more acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic on the actualization of environmental problems.

Exploring Consumers' Intention to Use Bikes and E-Scooters during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Approach with a Consideration of Pro-Environmental Identity

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted nations globally to adopt lockdown policies, resulting in a substantial shift in people's travel behavior. This pandemic has influenced micro-mobility, an emerging urban transportation mode, including in the Philippines. However, a limited quantifiable study is dedicated to understanding the evolving micro-mobility use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future intention to use micro-mobility, particularly e-scooters/bikes, and to explore how hedonic and environmental motivations influence the decision-making process of its adoption. An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was employed, with 152 Filipinos answering an online questionnaire that was distributed using a convenience sampling approach. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the awareness of environmental issues and the negative impact of cars, thereby significantly influencing the usage intention of e-scooters/bikes. In addition, social norms and perceived behavioral control partially mediated the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the intention to use micro-mobility. Meanwhile, the magnitude and significance of motivation variables were inconclusive, although they confirmed a positive relationship with attitude. The findings of this study could help provider firms and policymakers devise evidence-based policies concerning micro-mobility and promote its usage, particularly in developing countries.

Corporate social responsibility, workplace spirituality and their effects on green promotive and prohibitive voice behaviours

Despite plenty of studies on employees' pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, green promotive behaviour (GPromVB) and green prohibitive voice behaviour (GProhVB) and their predictors have not been investigated so far. With this realization, our paper explores the interrelationships of corporate social responsibility (CSR), workplace spirituality (WPS), GPromVB, and GProhVB. Data collected from hotel employees in two waves and their supervisors in Northern Cyprus were tapped to gauge the aforementioned associations via structural equation modelling. Results implicitly reveal that employees' favourable perceptions of CSR enhance their feelings of WPS, which in turn leads to GPromVB and GProhVB at elevated levels. In conclusion, WPS mediates the effect of CSR on GPromVB and GProhVB. Based on these findings, our paper offers implications for the industry and academia.

Determinants of proper disposal of single-use masks: knowledge, perception, behavior, and intervention measures.

Background: Although many studies testify to consumer behavior's role in the context of waste-related sustainability objectives, little research examined what people know, think, and feel about the environmental impacts of their personal protective equipment (PPE) or their behavior towards them, in general. Therefore, the present article complements existing information about the public perceptions, knowledge, and behavior of single-use masks in a context where the pandemic has put increasing pressure on waste management public services. From February to June 2020, municipal solid waste increased ten times in Romania. The study identified the factors that predicted the proper disposal of single-use masks and the measures preferred to prevent or minimize the negative impact of single-use mask waste. Method: Data from a representative sample of 705 Romanians were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SPSS and SmartPLS. The Cochran's Q test was run to determine the existence of differences between percentages of people who preferred various measures. Dunn's test with a Bonferroni correction was used to identify the exact pair of groups where the differences were located. The study utilized structural equation models (SEM) based on at least partial squares with SmartPLS software (3.2.8) to investigate causal links between constructs. The model considered that the dependent variable (environmentally friendly behavior: proper disposal of single-use masks) could be influenced by the knowledge, perception, behavior, and demographics variables. Results: The findings indicated that knowledge of the type of material of single-use masks had a direct positive (ß = 0.173) and significant effect on their proper disposal. The perception of mask waste impact has a negative and significant (ß = -0.153, p < 0.001) impact on the proper disposal of single-use masks. This path coefficient illustrates that the worse the perceived impact of single-use masks on waste management activity, the higher the proper disposal of single-use masks. Gender has a positive (ß = 0.115) and significant (p < 0.001) effect on the proper disposal of single-use masks. Conclusions: It was concluded that the 5Rs waste management approach should be reconsidered for single-use mask waste. For example, "Reuse" and the classic "Recycle" have limited applications since they may lead to virus transmission and possible infection. "Reducing" the use of single-use masks could have repercussions on one's health. Summing up, the study outlined recommendations for effective interventions for the proper disposal of single-use masks from the perspective of behavioral studies.

Ecological introspection resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic: the threat perception of the pandemic was positively related to pro-environmental behaviors

How infectious diseases shape individual minds and behaviors has been of interest to researchers. We conducted four studies to examine whether the threat perception of the COVID-19 pandemic was positively related to pro-environmentalism. Study 1 (N = 1,508) showed that individuals' threat perception of the pandemic was correlated with their pro-environmental behaviors. Study 2 (N = 241) clarified the causality by manipulating threat perception and found that individuals with high (vs. low) threat perception reported higher pro-environmental willingness. Study 3 (N = 406) revealed that awe for nature mediated this relationship. Study 4 (N = 405) replicated Study 3 more than two years after the outbreak and demonstrated the findings were robust regardless of decreases in infection fear. These findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic provides individuals with an opportunity to reconsider the way they treat nature. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The effect of COVID-19 risk perception on pro-environmental behavior of Chinese consumers: Perspectives from affective event theory.

Introduction: COVID-19 has altered human cognition and changed the cultural values of society. However, there has not been much debate among scholars about whether these above changes have led to an increase in pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of Chinese consumers. Methods: A comprehensive model was developed based on affective event theory. An online questionnaire was distributed, and 501 usable questionnaires were collected. In addition, two complementary approaches were employed: partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA). Results: The PLS-SEM results showed that COVID-19 risk perception, nostalgia, the awe of nature, and attitude were found to have a positive effect on PEB; and the moderating effect of power distance belief (PD) between nostalgia (NO), attitude (AT) and PEB was confirmed. According to the NCA results, AT and NO are necessary conditions for the PEB of consumers. Discussion: This study provides deeper insight into the understanding of consumers' pro-environmental behavior in the context of COVID-19 through the combined use of PLS-SEM and NCA.

COVID-19 Effects on Environmentally Responsible Behavior: A Social Impact Perspective from Latin American Countries.

The aim of the research is to examine the relationships between the following variables (a) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), composed of Attitudes (ATT), Subjective Norms (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC); and (b) Consciousness (EC) on the dependent variable Environmentally Responsible Purchase Intention (ERPI) from the perspective of the Latin American consumer in a pandemic. Currently, the literature on the relationships proposed in the explanatory model is still scarce at a theoretical and practical level, without empirical evidence in Latin America. The data collection is from 1624 voluntary responses from consumers in Chile (n = 400), Colombia (n = 421), Mexico (n = 401), and Peru (n = 402) collected through online surveys. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group to test invariance analysis and the moderating effects, we can determine the relationship between the variables in the proposed model, generating evidence from Latin American countries. The empirical analysis verified that Attitude (ATT), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), and Environmental Consciousness (CE) have a positive and significant effect on Environmentally Responsible Purchase Intention (ERPI). The results also show that the generation variable presents invariance. Therefore, the groups are not different at the model level for the generation variable, becoming relevant to the difference at the path level. Therefore, the results of this study become a relevant contribution, indicating a moderating effect on the generation variable. This research provides insights for understanding Latin American consumers, and managerial implications are also provided for developing strategies to promote sustainable consumption.

Evaluating Whether and How Public Health Event Information Frameworks Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior.

The major public health emergencies (PHEs) represented by the COVID-19 pandemic, while posing a serious threat to human health, have led people to rethink about the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. It is worthy to explore whether and how the framework effect of event information can be used to turn crises into opportunities to promote public pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Through a pre-and post-test control experiment, this study took the COVID-19 pandemic as a case, to explore the effects of four PHE information frameworks on promoting PEB, coupled with two information loss-gain frameworks and two information content frameworks. The results showed that all four information frameworks contribute to the public PEB. However, there are differences: only the environmental gain information effect is significant for PEB in the private sphere. The environmental loss and health gain information are effective for PEB in organizations. However, in the public sphere, all four information frameworks significantly motivate PEB. Further factorial analysis revealed that the interaction between the information content and loss-gain framework was not significant, with the latter playing the dominant role. These findings provide a new approach to how to develop the information framework effect and turn crises into opportunities to promote public PEB in the context of major PHEs.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Plastic Pollution among Malaysians: Implications for Minimizing Plastic Use and Pollution

Excessive production, consumption, and indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste contribute to plastic pollution, which has a negative impact on the environment and human health. The KAP (knowledge, attitude, and practices) study is thought to be useful in mitigating plastic pollution because understanding the public's knowledge, attitude, and practices toward plastic pollution can help identify problems and challenges, allowing appropriate policy decisions to be made to set up plans or implement interventions. This study assesses Malaysians' level of knowledge, attitude, and practices toward plastic pollution, as well as the variation of plastic pollution related to KAP among various socio-demographic groups. For this study, an online survey received 294 valid responses. Descriptive statistics, KAP scoring, and response cross-tabulation were calculated. This study received 294 valid responses via an online survey. Descriptive statistics, KAP scoring, and response cross-tabulation were estimated. A one-way analysis of variance, paired t-test, and binary logistic regressions was performed. Respondents' overall knowledge score (95% CI mean score: 3.88–10.94 on a scale of 11) and practice score (95% CI 1.09–6.53 on a scale of 6) were poor across socio-demographics when a cut point of 80% was used. Older (>46 years) respondents seemed to have more knowledge than younger (18–30 years) respondents (odds ratio, OR 4.304;p < 0.01). However, respondents between the ages of 31 and 45 reported significantly (p < 0.01) higher attitudes (OR 4.019) and practices (OR 4.056;p < 0.05). Respondents with environmental-related university education had a higher likelihood of knowing about plastic pollution (OR 10.343;p < 0.01). To encourage good practices toward minimizing plastic use and pollution, conclusions are drawn about undertaking interventions such as raising environmental awareness, incorporating plastic pollution topics into formal and informal education, and providing recycling facilities in nearby communities.

Connecting workplace attachment and pro-environmental behaviors in zoo and aquarium professionals.

Emerging conservation psychology literature shows that there is a strong link between positive attachment to a workplace and the performance of pro-environmental behaviors by employees at work. The present study explores the validity of a pilot survey based in previous literature that explores these constructs to determine whether a relationship between the two exists among zoo and aquarium professionals. The survey was distributed to employees of the Wildlife Conservation Society's city zoos-Prospect Park, Central Park, and Queens Zoos-during the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Two of the survey scales used had a high internal consistency and data from these responses informed this case study to show that there is a weak, positive correlation between workplace attachment (WPA) and self-reported frequency of performance of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) among the respondents. Isolating the responses by department revealed that staff working in Operations departments (1) exhibit lower frequencies of PEB than those in Education and Animal departments and (2) have a very strong, positive correlation between WPA and PEB. The results suggest that zoo and aquarium employees who are positively attached to their workplace are more likely to perform PEBs, especially those working in Operations departments. These findings help support that workplace practices seeking to increase WPA could increase the performance of PEBs at work by all employees.

Potential impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on Turkish economy and its carbon dioxide emissions: an extended input-output analysis

COVID-19 pandemic has lead to societal transformation in terms of economic, social, and environmental behaviours. Like other countries, Turkey has suffered from the pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the following major indicators: total hours worked by employees, number of employees, labour compensation, capital compensation, gross value added and nominal capital stock at current basic prices, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Throughout the study, an extended input-output (EIO) analysis was employed. The scope of the study was based on the decline in economic activities in the restricted sectors such as accommodation and food services, travel agencies, tour operators and other reservation and related services, air transport, land tourism, water transport, and leisure activities. Three main scenarios, i.e., fast recovery scenario, continuing slowdown scenario, and economic recession scenario, were set to analyse the effects of COVID-19 on the Turkish economy and CO2 emissions.

#Fighteverycrisis: A psychological perspective on motivators of the support of mitigation measures in the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both crises, the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic need collective mitigation support. In the context of COVID-19, the support of mitigation strategies has found its way to the forefront of debates. Our aim was to contribute empirical evidence to this debate by investigating mitigation behaviors across both crises and discussing similarities and differences. To this end, we drew on the Norm Activation Model and the concept of Social Identity to understand individuals' support of mitigation strategies in the climate crisis and their support of governmental strategies to mitigate the spread of the virus. Data were gathered within a Germany-wide survey (N = 3092) carried out in June and July 2020. Three predictors significantly explained the support of mitigation strategies in both crises: (1) The awareness that the entire society is affected by the pandemic emerged as the strongest predictor for support of COVID-19 mitigation strategies, whereas (2) social identification with others making efforts to mitigate the climate crisis was the strongest predictor for support of climate crisis mitigation strategies. (3) Efficacy expectations that together with others one can make a substantial contribution to mitigate the respective crisis predicted support of mitigation strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis to similar proportions. The results point to the need for targeting the communication of mitigation strategies in a pandemic on raising awareness for the collective nature of the problem whereas strengthening efficacy expectations and feelings of belonging, e.g. through participation processes, could generally strengthen the support of mitigation strategies in both crises.

The Pandemic Pivot: Effective Distance Service Learning in the Age of COVID-19

Service learning enables students to make connections between the curriculum and real-world problems, especially around environmental issues. Students learn problem-solving skills through concrete action and learn from community partners about the various ways to solve certain environmental problems. The focus on problem-solving skills in this domain enables students to see themselves as agents of change, though the long-term effects of these changes are difficult to ascertain. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the traditional model of in-person service learning. There is necessarily little longitudinal data due to the recent timeline of the pandemic. However, using course evaluation qualitative comments in environmental politics-themed courses after a significant pivot in the types of service learning activities possible, this chapter argues that environmental awareness and its subsequent application in students’ respective communities reflect changes in students’ environmental behavior and greater understanding of environmental issues. This pivot has enabled students to develop a new set of skills related to environmental behaviors, combining them with community engagement and digital story telling – skills that will necessarily be valuable to communities, students’ views of their own agency, as well as potential future employers. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Expectation of proenvironmentalteaching behavior and genera ecological behavior in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The deep crises that threaten well-being and existence could raise people's awareness and lead them to develop more supportive behaviors, especially towards nature. During the COVID-19 quarantine, remote education promoted the rapprochement of teachers and students by sharing personal spaces through video calls. Hence, this research aimed to determine the influence that the pro-environmental behaviors of the teacher as a model influence their students after an online education approach in environmental psychology. For this purpose, a quantitative, cross-sectional study of correlational scope was conducted with 33 college students aged between 19 and 24 years (M=21.69;SD=1.70), 19 women and 14 men, chosen at convenience, to whom the instruments: General Ecological Behavior and Expectation of Environmental Behavior of Others, were applied. Obtained data indicate high pro-environmental behavior and intermediate values for the expectation of the teacher's pro-environmental behavior. In addition, a significant positive correlation between both variables (p < 0.001, r(s) = 0.54) was found. In conclusion, it can be stated that the higher the expectation of pro-environmental behavior of professors as perceived by students, the higher is their acquired pro-environmental behavior, which could mean a challenge for university institutions, and a commitment to achieve that indirect environmental education shows the expected results for the fulfillment of the environmental goals of the public agenda.

Environmental Efficiency Indices in the Public Hospital Sector: A Proposal

Featured ApplicationThe use of these indices, which make it possible to compare the environmental efficiency between hospitals with similar characteristics, will facilitate the adoption of measures, the development of impact mitigation plans, and the implementation of good practices in environmental topics that will guide the health sector toward sustainability scenarios.In the past decades, the use of indices and indicators to report on the environmental performance of organisations has increased exponentially. However, the available studies did not address the topic of obtaining indicators that show the environmental behaviour of the health sector. The main objective of this research, therefore, was aimed at the calculation of environmental efficiency indices in the hospital sector, taking a regional hospital as a case study and considering the environmental aspects identified during the development of its healthcare activity in 2019. The results obtained provided information on the potential environmental impacts triggered by every aspect of the operation of a hospital in the course of its activities that focus on patient care. The results demonstrated that the aspects related to transportation of patients, workers, and materials had the greatest impact on the global environmental indices we calculated. For the environmental efficiency indices of hospital activities, the most significant environmental aspects were materials consumption and waste generation.

How negative anthropomorphic message framing and nostalgia enhance pro-environmental behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: An SEM-NCA approach.

Although extensive research has been conducted on promoting pro-environmental behaviors among consumers, little is known about whether and how negative anthropomorphic message framing (NAMF) and nostalgia affect pro-environmental behavior. To provide a framework for explaining pro-environmental behavior, this study integrates protection motivation theory, the stimulus-organism-response model, and message framing. To create the model of the influences on pro-environmental behavior, NAMF was employed as the external stimulus; the sense of environmental responsibility, environmental empathy, perceived threat, and perceived vulnerability as the psychological and cognitive response factors; pro-environmental behavior as the final decision of consumers; and nostalgia as the moderating variable. An online questionnaire was distributed and 380 usable questionnaires were collected using convenience sampling and analyzed using two complementary approaches: partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA). PLS-SEM results showed that pro-environmental behavior was significantly affected by NAMF (ß = 0.313, t-value = 5.583), environmental responsibility (ß = 0.207, t-value = 3.994), and perceived threats (ß = 0.252, t-value = 4.889). Meanwhile, an increase in nostalgia increased the effect of NAMF and environmental responsibility on pro-environmental behavior. The NCA results revealed that NAMF (d = 0.108, p < 0.001) and perceived threat (d = 0.209, p < 0.001) were key factors of pro-environmental behavior. In addition, for high level of pro-environmental behavior (>80%), NAMF (12.1%) and perceived threat (39.6%) are required. Finally, we offer several suggestions based on the results of our empirical research. For example, marketing and service offerings should be tailored to the needs of masses with different nostalgic tendencies to enhance their pro-environmental behaviors.

Place and post-pandemic flourishing: Disruption, adjustment, and healthy behaviors

This book rekindles the well-known connection between people and place in the context of a global pandemic. The chapters are divided into two sections. In the first section, "Place Attachment During a Pandemic," we review the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent of its impact on place attachment and human-environment interactions. We examine how restrictions in mobility and environmental changes can have a significant psychological burden on people who are dealing with the effect of place attachment disruption that arises during a pandemic. In the second section, "Adjusting to Place Attachment Disruption During and After a Pandemic," we focus on adaptive processes and responses that could enable people to adjust positively to place attachment disruption. We conclude the book by discussing the potential for pro-environmental behavior to promote place attachment and flourishing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic by introducing an integrative framework of place flourishing and exploring its implications for theory, research, policy, and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Do Qualitative and Quantitative Job Insecurity Influence Hotel Employees’ Green Work Outcomes?

The extant literature lacks evidence concerning the effects of qualitative and quantitative job insecurity (JIS) on service workers’ performance outcomes. This is also true for their effects on green work outcomes. To fill in this void, drawing on social information processing, threat-rigidity, and the reformulation of attitude theories as well as the model of attitude–behavior relation, this paper proposes and tests a research model that investigates the effects of both qualitative and quantitative JIS simultaneously on green work outcomes. Data gathered from hotel employees during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey were utilized to gauge the hypothesized associations through structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that quantitative JIS weakens harmonious environmental passion, green recovery performance, and proactive pro-environmental behavior. In addition, harmonious environmental passion mediates the impact of quantitative JIS on the aforementioned green work consequences. Contrary to the predictions, the findings lend no credence to the negative impact of qualitative JIS on harmonious environmental passion, green recovery performance, and proactive pro-environmental behavior. © 2022 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.