In what sense does the public need to understand global climate change?

Abstract

In a survey of 1,218 Americans, the key determinant of behavioral intentions to address global warming is a correct understanding of the causes of global warming. Knowing what causes climate change, and what does not, is the most powerful predictor of both stated intentions to take voluntary actions and to vote on hypothetical referenda to enact new government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Identifying bogus causes (e.g., insecticides) correlates with the belief that the globe will warm, but is only weakly related to voluntary actions and not at all related to support for government policies. General pro-environmental beliefs and perceptions that global warming poses serious threats to society also help to explain behavioral intentions. The explanatory power of an air pollution framework is substantial in bivariate analyses, but has little explanatory power in multivariate analyses that include knowledge, risk perceptions, and general environmental beliefs. Translating public concern for global warming into effective action requires real knowledge. General environmental concern or concern for the negative effects of air pollution appear not to motivate people to support programs designed to control global warming.

No Measure without Concept. A Critical Review on the Conceptualization and Measurement of Environmental Concern

“…ddOne important issue is the exclusion of knowledge as a cognitive attribute of the concept definition. Bord, O'Connor and Fisher (2000) state that accurate knowledge about consequences of, for example, global warming is a precondition in order to be actively engaged in the mitigation of climate change. In contrast, accurate knowledge is not necessary in order to stimulate general concern.…”

“…In contrast, accurate knowledge is not necessary in order to stimulate general concern. Several studies find knowledge to be a very distinct aspect from environmental concern since it significantly explains environmental behavior, but not beliefs or attitudes (Bord, et al 2000, Dietz et al, 2007, Milfont and Gouveia 2006. Moreover, knowledge might serve as an additional link between environmental concern and environmental behavior: someone who is very much concerned about the environment in general will be more active if the person knows what to do in order to, for example, reduce carbon emissions in the context of climate change (Fransson and Garling, 1999).…”

Increasing pro-environmental behaviors by increasing self-concordance: Testing an intervention.

“…It is important to note that demographics and environmental goals at a range of levels of abstraction have been related to engagement in environmentally sustainable behavior in the past: This includes free-market ideology at the broadest level of abstraction (e.g., Heath & Gifford, 2006;Lewandowsky, Gignac, & Vaughan, 2013), environmental identity at a medium level (e.g., Fielding, McDonald, et al, 2008;Fielding, Terry, et al, 2008;Sparks & Shepherd, 1992) and beliefs in anthropogenic climate change at the most specific level of abstraction (e.g., Bord, O'Connor, & Fisher, 2000;Gifford, 2011;Leviston & Walker, 2012). Since the self-concordance of sustainable behaviors is partially based on the relationships these behaviors may have with environmental goals, we wanted to rule out the possibility that it is these relationships with environmental goals that are driving the behaviors, rather than the overall self-concordance, and thus we need to control for these variables.…”

A Framework to Promote Energy Efficiency as a Solution to the Energy Problem in Egypt

“…The awareness of the people towards their role in the problem is a significant element in order to find proper solutions. Lots of educated people are aware that global warming is due to the ozone depletion, however very few of them understand that the major contributor in global warming is due to exhaust resulting from heating and cooling homes [19]. In general people are not actually aware of the energy use related to their behaviour [15].…”