Climate change's critical challenge for psychology: Preventing rebound and promoting intrinsic motivation for environm

1. Climate change's critical challenge for psychology: Preventing rebound and promoting intrinsic motivation for environmental engagement Siegmar Otto Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg

2. Climate change mitigation and psychology Climate change mitigation means to reduce energy consumption the prime strategy: technological efficiency increases doesn’t work because of rebound reduction of energy consumption is a psychological problem common approaches (incentives) don’t work the problem substantially different from other environmental issues What really has to be done?

3. The Climate Change Challenge

4. The Climate Change Challenge common aim of sustainable development (i.e. especially climate change mitigation): • reduction of energy and resource consumption

5. The Climate Change Challenge • the three strategies of sustainable development according to the Brundtland report (WCED, 1987) • sustainable development is possible, if and only if all three strategies are pursued Efficiency derived from an input’s ratio to its utility in respect of a certain measure strategies of sustainable devleopment Sufficiency self-limitation, especially with regard to (materialistic) consumption efficiency sufficiency Consistency reintegration of the industrial metabolism into natural processes or separation of the metabolism from the environment consistency

6. The Climate Change Challenge sustainable development in the case of climate change mitigation • reduction of energy consumption Efficiency increase efficiency of technology (e.g., energy efficient fridges) strategies of sustainable devleopment Sufficiency consume less energy and resources (e.g., travel less) efficiency sufficiency Consistency use only renewable energy consistency

7. The Climate Change Challenge sustainable development in the case of climate change • climate change mitigation -> reduction of energy consumption Efficiency increase efficiency of our technology (e.g., energy efficient fridges) strategies of sustainable devleopment yes BUT rebound Sufficiency consume less energy and resources (e.g., travel less) efficiency unimportant in most strategies sufficiency Consistency use only renewable energy consistency partially

8. The Climate Change Challenge Societal focus on efficiency - Results of a content analysis (business and politics the basic strategy of all business efficiency increase  cheaper production  higher profit green image  higher sales economic growth  policy support also on the individual level more efficient behavior  fulfillment of more goals strategies of sustainable devleopment efficiency irrelevant sufficiency consistency only marginally relevant Otto (2007)

9. The Climate Change ChallengeSocietal focus on efficiency - and its result REALITY Example: AIM of the European Union until 2020 • Agenda 20-20-20 EU 2008 • reduction greenhouse gas emission by 20% • share of renewable energies above 20% • reduction of primary energy consumption by 20% • all strategies depend on efficiency increases • no reduction in primary energy consumption www.worldbank.org

10. How do we support mitigation?Commonly acknowledged contributions to climate change mitigation

11. How do we support mitigation?Commonly acknowledged contributions to climate change mitigation switch to energy efficient lighting high

12. How do we support mitigation?Commonly acknowledged contributions to climate change mitigation change to energy efficient fridge high

13. How do we support mitigation?Problem: Rebound - no real contribution increasing per-capita energy consumption despite efficient technology because of Cost per Lumen/h(efficiency of generation) per capita cons in Lumen/h Year Costs and consumption of light technological efficiency gains are (over)compensated by additional consumption -> rebound rebound Herring & Roy (2007); Umweltbundesamt (2011)

14. How do we support mitigation?OTHER commonly acknowledged contributions to climate change mitigation use tram or bicycle instead of car shop less higher savings

15. How do we support mitigation?Difference to previous environmental problem single behaviors can be changed effectively BUT: what do people do with savings from efficiency gains (and other sufficient behaviors) spend otherwise e.g., for a nice vacation • REBOUND

16. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)?

17. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)? The psychological causes of rebound and unrestrained consumption or Why do we spend the money and time we earn?

18. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)? Why are you listening to this talk? Everybody has and endless number ofdesires, goals and motives How can you attain more of them? By being more efficient (with technology) Since when? hand axesince at least 2,6 mya

19. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)?

20. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)?

21. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)? • efficient technology • more effective goal attainment • functional, facilitates everyday life • attain our goals with less effort and faster • more goals can be attained • efficiency increase is prime strategy of evolution • the same in flora and fauna (biopsychology) Otto, Kaiser, & Arnold (2013)

22. Why do we act and use technology (and produce CO2)? • psychological explanation of unrestrained consumption • the purpose of cars, fridges, and houses is not to save energy • they are means to satisfy personal ends • technology serves personal goals (extrinsic) • climate change mitigation is no prime goal of most individuals • fulfilling more personal desire and motives IS prime goal *intrinsicmotivation: motivetoreduce environmental burden / mitigateclimatechange extrinsicmotivation: anyothermotive

23. Common approaches to behavior change

24. Common approaches to behavior change • Agenda 20-20-20 EU 2008 • reduction greenhouse gas emission by 20% • share of renewable energies above 20% • reduction of primary energy consumption by 20% • all strategies depend on efficiency increases Example: AIM of the European Union until 2020 • most effective programs: extrinsic behavioral management • main focus on enticements / incentives • financial • social *intrinsicmotivation: motivetoreduce environmental burden / mitigateclimatechange extrinsicmotivation: anyothermotive

25. Common approaches to behavior changecommon practice -> change behavior difficulty (with extrinsic motives) financial enticements / incentives e.g., providing free access to products or services, fees, rebates, subsidies … social enticements / incentives benefits grounded in people's social motives e.g.: • status motives • social norms (descriptive and injunctive) • publicly made promises

26. Common approaches to behavior changecommon practice -> change behavior difficulty (with extrinsic motives) financial enticements / incentive example: lamps solution: change situational costs problem: low acceptance of energy efficient lamps • price (e.g., subsidize energy efficient light bulbs) • money savings for the individual

27. Common approaches to behavior changecommon practice -> change behavior difficulty (with extrinsic motives) social enticements / incentives example: green products and status motives Schneider, (2004); Griskevicius, Tybur, & van den Bergh (2010)

28. Common approaches to behavior change social and financial enticements / incentives • effective change of single behaviors • worked for most previous environmental issues (e.g. ozone layer depletion) • BUT: • impossible to change all relevant behaviors • savings in terms of time and money additional consumption (rebound) no reduction in overall energy consumption no climate change mitigation

29. Common approaches to behavior change high % ofpeoplebehavior • active environmentalism • refraining from own car • refraining from shopping bags • switching off engine • refraining from fabric softeners • heating reduction (> 4 Std.) • commuting by bike • refraining from clothes dryers • no convenience food • refraining from prewashing • taking showers not baths • recycling paper .14 .16 .23 .31 .32 .49 .51 .53 .60 .69 .76 .89 .95 owning energy efficient car behavior difficulty (Germany 2010, N = 2,317) low

30. What do we need to reduce overall energy consumption?

31. What do we need to reduce overall energy consumption? high % ofpeoplebehavior • active environmentalism • refraining from own car • refraining from shopping bags • switching off engine • owning energy efficient car • refraining from fabric softeners • heating reduction (> 4 Std.) • commuting by bike • refraining from clothes dryers • no convenience food • refraining from prewashing • taking showers not baths • recycling paper .14 .16 .23 .31 .32 .49 .51 .53 .60 .69 .76 .89 .95 intrinsic motivation behavior difficulty persons (Germany 2010, N = 2,317) low

32. What do we need to reduce overall energy consumption?promotion of intrinsic environmental motivation high Germany THE CHALLENGE 2010 • active environmentalism • refraining from own car • refraining from shopping bags • switching off engine • refraining from car use • refraining from fabric softeners • heating reduction (> 4 Std.) • commuting by bike • refraining from clothes dryers • no convenience food • refraining from prewashing • taking showers not baths • recycling paper .14 .16 .23 .31 .43 .49 .51 .53 .60 .69 .76 .89 .95 29% 34% 35% 36% 38% 36% 35% 34% 30% 23% 18% 9% 4% .43 .50 .58 .67 .81 .85 .86 .87 .90 .92 .94 .98 .99 environmental motivation 2010 behaviorchange low

33. What do we need to reduce overall energy consumption? high intrinsic motivation behavior difficulty persons affects personal overall consumption no costly regulation necessary internally motivated low

34. Finally some good news

35. Finally some good news • we know how to measure intrinsic environmental motivation • environmental behavior (i.e. intrinsic motivation) is learned • intrinsic environmental motivation is related to • environmental knowledge • use of nature • prosociality

36. Finally some good newsmeasurement of intrinsic environmental motivation with the General Ecological Behavior Scale

37. Finally some good newsintrinsic environmental motivation is learned env motivation/behavior significantly higher in 2010 (M = .08, SD = .85) than in 2001 (M = -.08, SD = .76). environmental motivation/behavior correlation (r) age and envmotivation/behavior 2001 r = .25(p < .001; N = 779) 2010 r = .18, .17, and .16, respectively (each p < .001; each N = 779).

38. Finally some good newsenvironmental education environmental sciences faculty environmental sciences students forestry electricalengineering environmental knowledge Kaiser & Frick (2002)

39. Finally some good newsenvironmental education environmental sciences faculty increasingly relevant forlifestyle environmental behavior / motivation environmental sciences students forestry electricalengineering environmental knowledge 19% environmental knowledge environmental motivation .43 Kaiser & Frick (2002)

40. Finally some good newsRelation between attitude towards nature and intrinsic motivation intrinsicmotivation attitudetowardsnature .51 N = 1336; age: 36.6 Kaiser, Hartig, Brügger & Duvier(2011)

41. ¡Gracias! Otto, S., Kaiser, F. G., & Arnold, O. (in press). The critical challenge of climate change for psychology: Preventing rebound and promoting more individual irrationality. European Psychologist. Siegmar Otto Otto-von-Guericke-UniversityMagdeburg siegmar.otto@ovgu.de

42. Enjoynature Siegmar Otto Otto-von-Guericke-UniversityMagdeburg siegmar.otto@ovgu.de Siegmar Otto Otto-von-Guericke-UniversitätInstitut für PsychologiePostfach 4120D-39016 Magdeburg siegmar.otto@ovgu.de