Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Ecological Responsibilities: An Evaluation of Pakistani University Students’ Behavioral Intentions Towards Climate Change

Authors

  • Abdul Rahman Butt School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
  • Mudassar Hussain School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
  • Hirra Butt School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
  • Arslan Ahmed School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
  • Balal Yousaf CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, school of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
  • Aqsa Azfar School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR

Keywords:

Behavioral Intentions, Climate Change, Education, Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Policies.

Abstract

Rapid and devastating changes in climate and environment have affected individuals from all around the globe to indulge in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The aim of this research is to evaluate the role of students in climate change mitigation and adaptation by analyzing their behavioral intentions. We incorporated the theory of planned behavior in evaluating the environmental knowledge among university students in Pakistan. The results implicated that the attitudes, societal norms and perceived behavioral control contributes significantly in an individual’s pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Additionally, education was found to be contributing merely in building attitudes towards pro-environmental behaviors. However the societal norms and individual’s perceived behavioral control were found to be less influenced by the educational background of individuals.

This research provides strategic policy suggestions in face of formulating encouraging engagement in deliberative discussions, interaction with scientists, and formulation of community projects to induce education, resources and opportunities which can be beneficial in changing behaviors of individuals on a larger scale in society.

References

Rajecki, D. W. (1982). Attitudes: Themes and advances. Sunderland, MA: Sinnauer.

Posch, P. (1993). Research issues in environmental education. Studies in Science Education, 21, 21–48.

Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behaviour? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260.

Grace, M. M., & Ratcliffe, M. (2002). The science and values that young people draw upon to make decision about biological conservation issues. International Journal of Science Education, 24(11), 1157–1169.

Jensen, R. (2002). Knowledge, action and pro-environmental behaviour. Environment and Behaviour, 8(3), 325–334Karpiak, C. P., & Baril, G. L. (2008). Moral reasoning and concern for the environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(3), 203-208.

Öhman, J., & Östman, L. (2007). Continuity and change in moral meaning-making—A transactional approach. Journal of Moral Education, 36(2), 151–168.

Boyes E., Stanisstreet M., & Zhang, Y. (2008). Combating global warming: The ideas of high school students in the growing economy of south east China. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 65(2), 233–245.

Boyes, E., Skamp, K., & Stanisstreet, M. (2009). Australian secondary students’ views about global warming: Beliefs about actions, and willingness to act. Research in Science Education, 39(5), 661–680.

Brownlee, M. T., Powell, R. B., & Hallo, J. C. (2013). A review of the foundational processes that influence beliefs in climate change: opportunities for environmental education research. Environmental Education Research, 19(1), 1-20.

Grady-Benson, J., & Sarathy, B. (2015). Fossil fuel divestment in US higher education: student-led organising for climate justice. Local Environment, 21(6), 661-681.

Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chaplin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., & Foley, J. A. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 46, 472–475.

Morgan, M. D., & Moran, J. M. (1996). Understanding the greenhouse effect and the ozone shield: An index of scientific literacy among university students. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 1185-1190.

Rajeev-Gowda, M. V., Fox, J. C., & Magelky, R. D. (1997). Students' understanding of climate change: Insights for scientists and educators. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 78(10), 2232-2240.

Andersson, B., & Wallin, A. (2000). Students' understanding of the greenhouse effect, the societal consequences of reducing CO2 emissions and the problem of ozone layer depletion. Journal of Research in Science Teaching: The Official Journal of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, 37(10), 1096-1111.

Karpiak, C. P., & Baril, G. L. (2008). Moral reasoning and concern for the environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(3), 203-208.

Duerden, M. D., & Witt, P. A. (2010). The impact of direct and indirect experiences on the development of environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 379-392.

Gifford, R. (2011). The dragons of inaction: psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American Psychologist, 66(4), 290.

Wachholz, S., Artz, N., & Chene, D. (2014). Warming to the idea: university students' knowledge and attitudes about climate change. International Journal of Sustainability in higher education, 15(2), 128-141.

Abas, N., Kalair, A., Khan, N., & Kalair, A.R. (2017). Review of GHG emissions in Pakistan compared to SAARC countries. Renew Sustainability Energy Review. 80, 990–1016.

Khan, M. A., Khan, A. J., Ali, Z., Ahmad, I., Ahmad, M. N., 2016. The challenge of climate change and policy response in Pakistan. Environmental Earth Science. 75, 1–16.

Lester, B. J., Ma, L., Lee, O., & Lambert, J. (2006) Social activism in elementary science education: A science, technology, and society approach to teach global warming. Int. /. Sci. Educ., 28, 315-339.

Cordero, E. C., Marie-Todd, A., & Abellera, D. (2008). Climate change education and the ecological footprint. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 89(6), 865-872.

Feldman, L., Nisbet, M., Leiserowitz, A., & Mailbach, E. (2010).The climate generation? Survey analysis of the perceptions and beliefs of young Americans, Yale Project on Climate Change and Center for Climate Change Communication, Yale University and George Mason University, 2 March.

Armel, K.C., Yan, K., Todd, A. and Robinson, T. (2011), “The Stanford climate change behavior survey (SCCBS): assessing greenhouse gas emissions-related behaviors in individuals and populations”, Climatic Change, Vol. 109 Nos 3/4, pp. 671-694.

Viscusi, W., & Zeckhauser, R. (2006). The perceptions and valuation of the risks of climate change: a rational and behavioral blend, Climate Change, 77(1/2), 151-177.

Ferguson Patrick, K., Macqueen, S., & Reynolds, R. (2014). Pre-service teacher perspectives on the importance of global education: world and classroom views. Teachers and Teaching, 20(4), 470-482.

Ranney, M. A., & Clark, D. (2016). Climate Change Conceptual Change: Scientific Information Can Transform Attitudes. Topics in Cognitive Science, 8(1), 49-75.

Graffeo, M. (2017). Environmental psychology: Conflicting climate attitudes. Nature Climate Change, 7(5), 314-314.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.

Yu, T., & Yu, T. (2017). The Moderating Effects of Students’ Personality Traits on Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions in Response to Climate Change. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12), 1472.

Abid, M., Schilling, J., Scheffran, J., Zulfiqar, F. (2016). Climate change vulnerability, adaptation and risk perceptions at farm level in Punjab, Pakistan. Sci. Total Environ. 547, 447–460.

Le Quéré, C., Raupach, M.R., Canadell, J.G., Marland, G., Bopp, L., Ciais, P., Conway, T.J., Doney, S.C., Feely, R.A., Foster, P., Friedlingstein, P., Gurney, K., Houghton, R.A., House, J.I., Huntingford, C., Levy, P.E., Lomas, M.R., Majkut, J., Metzl, N., Ometto, J.P., Peters, G.P., Prentice, I.C., Randerson, J.T., Running, S.W., Sarmiento, J.L., Schuster, U., Sitch, S., Takahashi, T., Viovy, N., Van Der Werf, G.R., and Woodward, F.I., (2009). Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide. Nat. Geosci. 2, 831–836.

Cochran, F. V., & Brunsell, N. A. (2012). Temporal scales of tropospheric CO2, precipitation, and ecosystem responses in the central Great Plains. Remote Sensing of Environment, 127, 316-328.

Hussain, M., Liu, G., Yousaf, B., Ahmed, R., Uzma, F., Ali, M. U., Ullah, H., and Butt, A. R. (2018). Regional and sectoral assessment on climate-change in Pakistan: Social norms and indigenous perceptions on climate-change adaptation and mitigation in relation to global context. Journal of Cleaner Production, 200, 791-808.

Lin, B., & Ahmad, I. (2016). Energy substitution effect on transport sector of Pakistan based on trans-log production function. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 56, 1182-1193.

Ul-Haq, Z., Tariq, S., & Ali, M. (2017). Spatiotemporal assessment of CO 2 emissions and its satellite remote sensing over Pakistan and neighboring regions. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 152-153, 11-19.

Karner, A. (2016). Planning for transportation equity in small regions: Towards meaningful performance assessment. Transport Policy, 52, 46-54.

Antoci, A., Galeotti, M., & Sordi, S. (2018). Environmental pollution as engine of industrialization. Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, 58, 262-273.

Zuberi, M. J., & Ali, S. F. (2015). Greenhouse effect reduction by recovering energy from waste landfills in Pakistan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 44, 117-131.

Liu, T., Ma, Z., Huffman, T., Ma, L., Jiang, H., & Xie, H. (2016). Gaps in provincial decision-maker’s perception and knowledge of climate change adaptation in China. Environmental Science & Policy, 58, 41-51.

Zarate, M., Slotnick, J., & Ramos, M. (2008). Capacity building in rural Guatemala by implementing a solid waste management program. Waste Management, 28(12), 2542-2551.

Han, Z., Liu, Y., Zhong, M., Shi, G., Li, Q., Zeng, D., Zhang, Y., Fei, Y., & Xie, Y. (2018). Influencing factors of domestic waste characteristics in rural areas of developing countries. Waste Management, 72, 45-54.

Chen, M. (2016). Extending the theory of planned behavior model to explain people's energy savings and carbon reduction behavioral intentions to mitigate climate change in Taiwan–moral obligation matters. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 1746-1753.

Ajzen, I. (1985). From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior. Action Control, 11-39.

Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 888-918.

Tonglet, M., Phillips, P. S., & Read, A. D. (2004). Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to investigate the determinants of recycling behaviour: a case study from Brixworth, UK. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 41(3), 191-214.

Rivis, A., & Sheeran, P. (2003). Descriptive norms as an additional predictor in the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 22(3), 218-233.

Onwezen, M. C., Bartels, J., & Antonides, G. (2014). Environmentally friendly consumer choices: Cultural differences in the self-regulatory function of anticipated pride and guilt. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 239-248.

Madden, T. J., Ellen, P. S., & Ajzen, I. (1992). A comparison of the theory of planned behavior and the theory of reasoned action. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18,3-9.

Savita, K., Dominic, P. D., & Ramayah, T. (2016). An insight on survey questionnaire design for Green SCM: Using cognitive interviewing method. 2016 3rd International Conference on Computer and Information Sciences (ICCOINS).

Tikir, A., & Lehmann, B. (2010). Climate change, theory of planned behavior and values: a structural equation model with mediation analysis. Climatic Change, 104(2), 389-402.

Ringle, C. M., Da Silva, D., & Bido, D. D. (2014). Structural Equation Modeling with the Smartpls. Revista Brasileira de Marketing, 13(02), 56-73.

De Leeuw, A., Valois, P., Ajzen, I., & Schmidt, P. (2015). Using the theory of planned behavior to identify key beliefs underlying pro-environmental behavior in high-school students: Implications for educational interventions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 128-138.

Malik, N., Asmi, F., Ali, M., & Rahman, M. M. (2017). Major Factors Leading Rapid Urbanization in China and Pakistan: A Comparative Study. Journal of Social Science Studies, 5(1), 148.

Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research. European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121.

Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling: Rigorous Applications, Better Results and Higher Acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1–2), 1–12.

Pedersen, K. M., Jöreskog, K. G., Sörbom, D., Pedersen, K. M., Joreskog, K. G., & Sorbom, D. (1981). Advances in Factor Analysis and Structural Models. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 83(1), 136.

Lowry, P. B., & Gaskin, J. (2014). Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) for building and testing behavioral causal theory: When to choose it and how to use it. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 57(2), 123–146.

Schmid, F., & Schmidt, R. (2007). Multivariate extensions of Spearman's rho and related statistics. Statistics & Probability Letters, 77(4), 407-416.

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55.

Barrett, P. (2007). Structural equation modelling: Adjudging model fit. Personality and Individual Differences, 42(5), 815-824.

Lubell, M., Zahran, S., & Vedlitz, A. (2007). Collective Action and Citizen Responses to Global Warming. Political Behavior, 29(3), 391-413.

Kaiser, F. G., & Gutscher, H. (2003). The Proposition of a General Version of the Theory of Planned Behavior: Predicting Ecological Behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(3), 586-603.

Monroe, M. C., Oxarart, A., & Plate, R. R. (2013). A Role for Environmental Education in Climate Change for Secondary Science Educators. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 12(1), 4-18.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). 2010. The UNESCO Climate Change Initiative: Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development. Paris: UNESCO.

Lambert, J. L., & Bleicher, R. E. (2014). Improving Climate Change Communication Starting with Environmental Educators. Journal of Geoscience Education, 62(3), 388-401.

McNeal, K. S., Hammerman, J. K., Christiansen, J. A., & Carroll, F. J. (2014). Climate Change Education in the Southeastern U.S. Through Public Dialogue: Not Just Preaching to the Choir. Journal of Geoscience Education, 62(4), 631-644.

Faria, F., Klima, K., Posen, I. D., & Azevedo, I. M. (2015). A New Approach of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Outreach in Climate Change, Energy, and Environmental Decision Making. Sustainability: The Journal of Record, 8(5), 261-271.

Cox, H., Kelly, K., & Yetter, L. (2014). Using Remote Sensing and Geospatial Technology for Climate Change Education. Journal of Geoscience Education, 62(4), 609-620.

Stapleton, S. R. (2015). Environmental Identity Development through Social Interactions, Action, and Recognition. The Journal of Environmental Education, 46(2), 94-113.

Pruneau, D. R., Gravel, H., Bourque, W., & Langis, J. (2003). Experimentation with a socio-constructivist process for climate change education. Environmental Education Research, 9(4), 429-446.

Downloads

Published

2019-04-01

How to Cite

Butt, A. R., Hussain, M., Butt, H., Ahmed, A., Yousaf, B., & Azfar, A. (2019). Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Ecological Responsibilities: An Evaluation of Pakistani University Students’ Behavioral Intentions Towards Climate Change. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 45(1), 129–153. Retrieved from https://gssrr.org/index.php/JournalOfBasicAndApplied/article/view/9887

Issue

Section

Articles