Community-Based Approaches to Environmental Behaviour Change
Introduction
Knowledge and information about climate change have been in circulation for a while over the past few decades. A considerable amount of effort has been placed on education and sensitization of populations on the harmful impacts of climate change and the need to protect and preserve the environment. However, in several countries, such as the United States there is still a sizable minority who are sceptical about climate change and believe it to be a hoax. The previous models, such as the “information deficit model” or the “rationality assumption” which assumed that people do not have access to relevant information to warrant behaviour change, have become outdated. Uncertainty concerning climate can be presented in many forms, and these may have drastic impacts on behavioural change. Cognitively the risk can cause confusion, particularly if the issue is not deemed as urgent and may contribute to the diversion of attention to other solvable matters.
Environmental Behaviour Change
Global warming poses a significant threat to environmental sustainability and promoting the loss of biodiversity. Most of the problems arising from climate change can be attributed to human activities behaviour, and thus can be mitigated by fostering behavioural changes to cut down on harmful activities. Technical gains can be attained by promoting reforms in human behaviour are, for example, energy-saving devices and water-saving appliances can considerably save on consumption. New developments in the form of technical innovations may point to behaviour changes as individuals first need to understand and accept these innovations before making use of them. Analyzing environmental behaviour change involves studying behaviours that significantly impact environmental quality (Bidwell, 2016). For instance, shifts in consumer behaviour have higher ecological benefits, compared to recycling and reusing products. It is also essential to determine the feasibility of some of the various behaviour changes and their consequences. Feasibility and acceptability of innovational developments are dependent on factors suppressing or promoting change.
Another critical factor in promoting environmental behaviour change is assessment. Viable behavioural measures are required to conclusively determine which demographics should be actively targeted and where to target specific interventions may be warranted. Most environmental assessment depends on self-reported responses to particular surveys. However, self-assessment reports may not always be an accurate way of noting actual behaviour change. Apart from analyzing specific behaviours, such as recycling or the use of public transportation, there is a need for identifying coherent patterns to environmental behaviour (Williamson et al., 2018). This may involve identifying regular antecedents, such as general pro-environmental attitudes. Some of the aggregate measures in place are tailored towards the outcomes of certain behaviours. For instance, meter readings indicate the amount of electricity, gas, water, and fuel consumed by a particular household.
Community Based-Approaches to Environment Behaviour Change
Communities have emerged in recent policy debates as a potentially useful medium to address the challenges presented by climate change. Appeals to the community are considered as a normative concept that is capable of promoting positive social change. A community-based approach may likely be successful in helping behaviour change as it represents a shift from centralized, top-down universal polices to a more localized approach where local governments, community involvement, and stakeholder participation is key to the project’s success. Successful implementation of community-based projects is highly dependent on ‘information’, ‘integration’, and ‘participation’ as they are fundamental building blocks to the sensitization and education of communities (Eilam and Trop, 2012). To promote sustainable development and conservation, every member of the population needs access to relevant content. Information and its strategic dissemination is a critical component of environmental policymaking and promoting behavioural change. Where there are key competing factors such as agriculture and catchment management, ethical decision making relies on the availability of sound supporting information. (Laurens, 2012). For such a system to be considered efficient, there is a need to promote a setup within which people can interact and generate new knowledge and broaden their perspectives about the world. Traditional approaches to education that treat learning as a passive process and place emphasis on teaching are regarded as outdated.
Transition Towns
A transition town initiative describes a local initiative that aims to promote sustainability in response to climate change and economic instability. Dubbed as urban initiatives for transition, the resilience models are made up of a set of bottom-up exercises for urban management that is aimed at promoting zero environmental impacts and reducing carbon emissions. Such urban systems are modelled on the intimate relationship between environmental resources and human capital, maintaining a balance between their socio-ecological systems.
The transition movement, made up of an action-based approach to sustainability, incorporates an extensive network of individual initiatives made up of ideals and values within the environmental theory. A significant feature of sustainability is the development of socio-technical niches or protected regions where relevant technical and social development practices can be promoted. The transition initiative approach proposes a grassroots innovation model that is made up of community-led, value-driven initiatives for sustainability that address local problems and create innovative means to react or respond to such issues (Schubert 2017). The socio-technical niche theory of the Transition Town initiatives proposes a bottom-up paradigm to urban development promoting creativity in urban development and adequately filling the gap between community wants needs and the existing local programs that are supported by the government (Wolfram, 2016). TTs are primarily focused on addressing peak oil and climate change challenges at the grassroots levels. In theory, the practices can be best described as an environmental model. The TT movement has rapidly gained popularity and interest over the years because of its participation style and how it is related to localism. Some of the significant transition town projects include car-sharing programs, free exchange markets, and community gardens.
Sustainable energy initiatives that are supported by social and technical innovations are crucial to the reduction of carbon emissions by promoting the use of renewable energy and recycling of materials in addition to helping behavioural changes. While technology improvements and renewable energy infrastructural developments are necessary, social innovations and lifestyle changes must be implemented to maximize their greenhouse gas saving potential (Schubert, 2017). Social developments have a great deal of impact on sustainable development and the adoption of sustainable consumption practices. For green initiatives to influence wider audiences, there are three potential avenues for diffusion, namely scaling up, replication, and integration into the mainstream environment. Just like other grassroots initiatives, Transition Town’s small scale and rootedness possess a challenge when it comes to scaling up. Integration into the mainstream scene is at the core of Transition Towns, by promoting the development of projects that directly connect these initiatives to the greater community.
TT models maintain a delicate balance between internal community cohesion while supporting connection to mainstream life and events. By incorporating the transition movement, it is presumed that life with considerably lower energy consumption is inescapable and that it is crucial to plan ahead. That communities are currently incapable of dealing with severe shocks and challenges that accompany peak oil. By developing a TT plan, communities are able to raise awareness on conservation and adoption of alternative sources of energy and lay foundations to promote such efforts. A transition town movement approach emphasizes collaboration and community organization for change, as individual behaviour changes are considerably small, and government changes are likely to face a lot of resistance and delay (Hauxwell-Baldwin, 2013). Principles adopted in TTs include reduced energy use driven future, the participation of all stakeholders, raising awareness on environmental challenges, and creating more self-sufficient towns and cities. The TT movement promotes and encourages positive visioning in favour of positive changes for the future.
Strengths
Unlike other grassroots initiatives, such as local energy cooperatives that are too impersonal and lack social cohesion, Transition Towns are based on collaborative efforts of different individuals within the community. TTs movements are based on the strategy of resilience and communicative approach to social attraction. Apart from reducing the use of fossil fuels and carbon emission transition towns aim to build healthier cohesive communities, that can efficiently react to challenges rather than fragmenting. They foster sustainability by promoting cohesion and helping the development of skills by providing an opportunity for work and volunteering. Through its educational dimensions, people involved are more likely to overcome an information deficit and educate themselves on the benefits that can be derived from behaving in an environmentally friendly way.
Limitations
Transition town initiatives face a lot of challenges, including those that are related to the spreading of information. Transition town initiatives are tailored to address small sections of the society; for instance, voluntary downscaling on energy consumption is only significant in affluent over-consuming populations; however, this does not remedy system-wide challenges. There is a need for institutional support and resources to promote such initiatives. Some of the radical values that encourage and inspire conservation do not align with commercial policies, making it difficult for the projects to receive support. More often, these initiatives do not take positions in opposition to existing institutions. This may be partly attributed to the fact that transition networks place a lot of emphasis on the importance of TTs developing and maintaining links with local governments.
Renewable energy projects
Future projections predict a transition to sustainable energy as new systems will likely heavily rely on renewable source of energy, such as wind and solar insolation. To achieve a working and efficient, sustainable energy transition, it is essential to understand the extent to which individuals are communities are ready and willing to take up renewable energy sources. Apart from enhancing the efficiency of sustainable energy systems, there is a need to reduce total energy demands, particularly in developed countries (Burke and Stephens, 2018). With growing environmental concerns, there is a growing demand to adopt eco-friendly products and promoting a lifestyle of sustainability. The differences between expressed consumer preferences for green and sustainable products and their unwillingness to buy such products is termed as the attitude-behaviour gap. Research studies indicate that the widespread adoption of renewable energy solutions is proving challenging, with future predictions hinting that in 2030 there will be no notable differences in the level of fossil fuel use as compared to today (Twidell and Weir, 2015). Modern-day consumer trends towards the adoption of renewable energy have been widely covered in pro-environmental values and positive attitudes. However, the decision not to adopt renewable energy cannot be blamed on negative beliefs or low environmental values.
Renewable energy advocates argue that the resistance that is often displayed to renewable projects can be attributed to the “information-deficit model.” The deficit model is an accepted position that faults the lack of knowledge as the contributing factor to the undermining of a project or an idea. At the core of the deficient model is the concept that public attitudes and behaviours can be influenced by the perceived level of knowledge (Twidell and Weir, 2015). Opinion surveys show that public attitudes towards renewable energy are primarily positive, with renewables increasingly being viewed as partial solutions to the rise in energy demands and reducing carbon emissions. Opposition to specific projects is a considerable barrier to the broad adoption of renewable energies. Potential reasons for the gap in attitudes may arise when a vocal minority is opposed to a project.
Benefits of Renewable Energy Projects
Renewable energy products reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions which are significant greenhouse gases. Wind and solar energy effectively cut down on the carbon emission-reducing the number of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere mitigating the impacts of global warming. Air and water pollution emissions have a negative effect on the quality of air and water, leading to severe breathing problems, neurological diseases, and heart problems (Burke and Stephens, 2018). Adopting cleaner renewable energy can significantly improve general public health. Also, wind and solar energy production do not require water reducing the pollution of water sources or straining of existing supplies with agriculture and drinking water. Renewable sources of energy are inexhaustible and present an abundant amount of power in the future as oil reserves continue to diminish. Renewable energy projects are a source of employment and other economic benefits, compared to fossil fuels systems that are highly mechanized. For example, solar energy panels require human input during installation and windfarms require regular maintenance. In addition to creating jobs, clean energy supported by the renewable energy industry has a constructive economic “ripple” effect. For example, unrelated businesses will likely benefit from increased household incomes.
Limitations of Renewable Energy Projects
Setting up renewable energy projects can be costly because of the high input required as technologies associated with this form of energy are expensive upfront compared to traditional generators. To overcome such limitations, financial incentives, such as tax credits are usually provided to reduce installation and setup costs. Also, renewable energy sources are not available throughout the day or year as solar isolation often tends to vary with seasons and periods. Unpredictable weather patterns can disrupt the use of renewable technologies. The intermittent nature of some of the renewable sources of energy warrants the need for external sources of energy storage. While storage technologies are available, they are often expensive, particularly for large scale renewable energy complexes. Geographical limitations often affect renewable energy projects.
Carbon Neutral
Carbon emissions from some of the highly industrialized nations, such as Japan, US, Germany, and Australia, contribute to more than half of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere regularly. There is a need to rapidly cut down on emissions over the next few years with several developed nations recognizing the need for significant emissions reduction. The UK, for example, set up a legal target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the start of 2050 (Shafiei et al., 2017). The act of reducing carbon emissions is in line with aims that require a wide range of portfolio for mitigation options. Moreover, there is a growing interest to cut down carbon emissions through environmentally conscious behaviours at the individual and household levels. This can contribute to substantive efforts in the mitigation of climate change, given that carbon emissions are tied to attempts by households and individuals to satisfy their needs (Shafiei et al., 2017). Several interventions and innovations have been developed to promote meaningful emissions reduction and pro-environmental changes through behaviour change; this includes motivational strategies and social and group-based approaches.
Benefits
Carbon neutral initiatives that promote better insulation, self-generation of sustainable energy, and several energy-saving measures will likely save on costs from by eliminating practices that consume a lot of energy. Such initiatives will probably cut on greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide mitigating the effects of climate change. Global warming and climate change have a great deal on the amount of precipitation received in a region and are partly to be blamed for the rising cases of desertification experienced across the globe.
Limitations
It is challenging to classify products as consumable goods and materials or services when making carbon emission calculations (Laurent, Olsen, and Hauschild, 2012). Assessments consist of impact assessment methods to their associated life cycle inventories (Hauxwell-Baldwin, 2013). Achieving carbon neutrality is a complicated process as you need to convince individuals and several entities on board and get them committed to reducing carbon emissions. Such initiates benefit only a few individuals and groups, such as NGOs and traders. Several complex legal processes may be involved to achieve carbon neutrality.
Conclusion
Considerable efforts have been placed on the spread of information about climate change, and its impacts have over the past few decades. However, there is still a sizable number of individuals who are adamant about climate change and global warming. Transition Town initiatives promote sustainability models that are aimed at fostering self-sufficient and reducing environmental impacts by properly utilizing existing resources. The future for renewable energy looks bright as most energy systems of the future will heavily rely on renewables, such as wind and solar power. There is also a need to reduce carbon emissions in highly industrialized nations that heavily account for most of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Extensive research studies should be conducted to promote the efficiency of renewable energy systems and positive attitudes towards renewables.
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