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Climate policies that target lifestyle changes risk triggering a wave of “unintended negative side effects”, even among people who are voluntarily trying to make sustainable choices.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that lifestyle changes could help the planet slash emissionsby up to 70 per cent by 2050.
However, a new paper published today in the journal Nature Sustainability warns that frequently-promoted initiatives, such as eating less meat, banning cars from city centres and asking people to forego air travel, may be weakening their “green” values.
Are climate policies backfiring?
Researchers surveyed more than 3,000 Germans representative of the country’s demographics, asking them questions about climate policies and, for comparison, COVID-19 policies.
They found that well-intended but poorly designed mandates can make “green” citizens less eco-minded due to what is commonly known as the “crowding-out effect”.
This is where a person’s aversion to control outweighs their pre-existing motivation to follow a green lifestyle. For example, they might already ride their bike, take public transportation, and be mindful when heating or cooling their home – but when they’re faced with carbon-neutral policies like urban car bans, they have “strong negative reactions”.
Climate change vs COVID-19
Researchers found a 52 per cent greater negative response to climate mandates than COVID-19 mandates, which garnered “incredible hostility” around the world – especially in countries such as the US.
Public rebellion grew during the pandemic, with thousands refusing to adhere to rules such as wearing a mask in public and social distancing.
“It looks like the climate casecould be much worse,” says economist Sam Bowles, one of the study’s authors. “The science and technology to provide a low-carbon way of life is nearly solved but what’s lagging behind is a social-behavioral science of effective and politically viable climate policies.”
How can climate policies cultivate green values?
Researchers say there is still reason for optimism, after finding that resistance was less for people who felt that the policy was effective, didn’t restrict their freedom of choice, and wasn’t intrusive on their privacy or their body.
“In Germany, there is less opposition to limitations on short-haul flights compared to other policies,” behavioural economist and psychologist Katrin Schmelz, lead author on the study, says.
“This may be because the European train network provides an adequate alternative (which may not be the case in the US, for example).”