Research

We are exploring the voluntary reduction in carbon footprint and psychological wellbeing: a longitudinal cross-cultural investigation

Why is exploring this important?

The 2023 IPCC Report highlighted the impacts of global temperature rise and aims to limit warming to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement (Lee et al., 2023).
Climate Action and Affordable and Clean Energy are UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UNDP, 2026).

What can psychologists do?

Research on how individual low-carbon choices can reduce emissions and improve public health and equity, so policies can be put into place to reinforce this (Lee et al., 2023).

What does past research suggest?

Cognitive climate-change hope is consistently positively related to engagement (Ojala, 2023)
Having hope that humans will reduce climate change can be constructive and motivate political action (Marlon et al., 2019)

Traditional Model vs Alternative Model

The study of what is going right should be as important – if not more – as the study of what is going wrong (Seligman, 2002b);
Engaging into what has been defined by Seligman (2002a) as a meaningful life (as compared to a pleasurable life and a good life), meaning “serving what is larger and more worthwhile than the just the self’s pleasures and desires” (Seligman & Royzman, 2003, p.3) – is key to well-being. (Seligman, 2002a; Seligman & Royzman, 2003).

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What does our research suggest?

A new theoretical model
Capstick (2018) suggests the Privilege hypothesis: strength and significance of the relationship between pro-environmental behaviour and psychological well-being varies according to the economic development of the country where one lives.
Tobler et al. (2012) suggests that knowledge on climate change predicts intention to reduce carbon footprint.
Jolley & Douglas (2014) suggests that misinformation over climate change decreases intentions to lower one’s carbon footprint.

References

Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Nash, N., Poortinga, W., Lord, J., & Haggar, P. (2018). Relationships between pro-environmental behaviour, personal values and wellbeing across cultural settings. Unpublished document.

Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014). The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engages in politics and to reduce one’s carbon footprint. British Journal of Psychology, 105(1), 35-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12018

Lee, H., Calvin, K., Dasgupta, D., Krinner, G., Mukherji, A., Thorne, P., … & Zommers, Z. (2023). Climate change 2023: synthesis report. Contribution of working groups I, II and III to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. 1-184. doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.

Marlon, J. R., Bloodhart, B., Ballew, M. T., Rolfe-Redding, J., Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2019). How hope and doubt affect climate change mobilization. Frontiers in Communication, 4, 20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00020

Ojala, M. (2023). Hope and climate-change engagement from a psychological perspective. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49, 101514. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X22002354

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002a). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. The Free Press. https://www.savetovalistebalans.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Authentic-Happiness-Using-the-New-Positive-Psychology-to-Realize-Your-Potential-for-Lasting-Fulfillment-by-Martin-E.P.-Seligman.pdf

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002b). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. Handbook of positive psychology, 2(2002), 3-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272078973_Positive_Psychology_Positive_Prevention_and_Positive_Therapy

Tobler, C., Visschers, V. H., & Siegrist, M. (2012). Consumers’ knowledge about climate change. Climatic change, 114(2), 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0393-1

UNDP. (2026). The SDPGS In Action. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals