How environmental cues and social norms modify sustainable behavior

¶ … Environmental Cues Shape Behavior and Implications for the Environment

Summer 2013

Humans are responsive creatures, and a wide array of environmental cues serves to shape human behavior. In some cases, the responses to environmental cues are strictly in the self-interests of the consumer, but in other cases, these responses can be modified to promote improved outcomes. Because people may not be able to gauge the impact of their individual behaviors on the environment, it is important to identify those environmental cues that promote and sustain environmentally responsible behaviors. To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning how environmental cues shape behavior and how behavior can be modified to support sustainability to limit the negative impact on the environment. Finally, the paper provides two possible solutions that could successfully change behavior and habits to lessen negative environmental impact followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

How Social Norms Influence Behavior and Beliefs about the Environment

History has shown time and again that humans are cavalier about the environment, and will even live at the base of an active volcano as long as it does not erupt during their lifetimes. Moreover, New Orleans continues to experience flood after flood with the city's residents flocking back each time to rebuild in floodplains, and experts suggest that it is just a matter of when and not if for the next disaster to occur. Likewise, despite a growing consensus among the scientific community that climate change and global warming are harsh realities, Hoffman (2012) emphasizes that, "Scientists have documented that anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases are leading to a buildup in the atmosphere, which leads to a general warming of the global climate and an alteration in the statistical distribution of localized weather patterns over long periods of time" (p. 31). Nevertheless, there remains a lack of a social consensus concerning the scope and severity of the problem. In this regard, Hoffman (2012) adds that, "A social consensus on climate change does not exist. Surveys show that the American public's belief in the science of climate change has mostly declined over the past five years, with large percentages of the population remaining skeptical of the science" (p. 31).

In an apparent "Chicken Little" reaction to much of the hyperbole being advanced on both sides of the debate, many Americans are becoming increasingly skeptical about exaggerated claims from any source. In this regard, Hoffman adds that, "Such a significant number of dissenters tells us that we do not have a set of socially accepted beliefs on climate change - beliefs that emerge, not from individual preferences, but from societal norms" (p. 31). Against this background, changing behavior and habits in ways that will mitigate negative environmental impact has assumed new importance and relevance, and these issues are discussed further below.

Two Possible Solutions that Could Successfully Change Behavior and Habits to Lessen Negative Environmental Impact

People must come to realize that they are being selfish and even greedy when it comes to their trash. Americans in particular throw away more garbage and trash than any society on earth, and a woefully small amount of it is currently being recycled because of the mindset that exists. A different mindset is in place in India, though, where an enormous slum exists in the middle of Mumbai that specializes in billion-dollar a year industry in recycling (Fulton, 2012). Indeed, nothing escapes that rag-pickers and trash-pile gleaners that comb through the city's trash heaps in search of cardboard boxes, paper goods, metals, paint chips (to be beaten into new paint) and virtually anything else that has another life and another after that to be squeezed out of it (Fulton, 2012). To successfully change behavior and habits to lessen the negative environmental impact, American consumers must be educated to view their recycling behaviors and habits in this fashion to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and the waste stream. This solution is congruent with the observations by Weinberg and Pellow (2000) that, "Recycling was and remains very popular with the private sector, the state, and consumers. Indeed, one of the socially and culturally appealing dimensions of recycling was precisely its potential to 'bring us all together' in a unified program" (p. 18).

A second way that behaviors and habits can be changed to lessen negative environmental impacts is to reward environmentally responsible practices. Individuals and families that carpool, use pubic transportation, ride bicycles or otherwise practice environmentally responsible behaviors should receive hefty tax credits and high-profile civic awards to recognize their contributions. Once a month, "America's Favorite Environmentally Responsible Family (or Individual)" would be lauded as the nation's most environmentally responsible, with visits to the White House and both houses of Congress, to celebrate their environmental consciousness. Each winning family (or individual) would also receive a cash incentive prize of $1,000,000 to highlight the importance of environmentally responsible behaviors.

Conclusion

The research showed that there is a growing consensus among the scientific community that manmade activities are changing the climate and causing increasing global warming, perhaps to the point of no return. The research also showed that people are reluctant to change their behavior unless and until they are presented with sufficiently compelling environmental cues to modify it. In the case of global warming, there has been so much controversial information advanced in recent years that many people are confused about what to believe and these individuals must be thoroughly convinced of the urgency of the problem to modify their behaviors. In the final analysis, people's behaviors tend to change slowly unless they recognize the need for such change, and even then it requires substantial amounts of time to effect meaningful change.