TY - GEN
T1 - Pro-environmental behaviors of climate skeptics
T2 - 7th International Conference on Climate Changes, Global Warming, Biological Problems (CGB)
AU - Pearce, Meryl
AU - Eagle, Lynne
AU - Low, David
AU - Schurmann, Andrea
N1 - Freely available from publisher website.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Despite the increasing certainty and acceptance of anthropogenic climate change in scientific and political arenas, skepticism about climate change persists in the general population. This study examines the climate change perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of residents of the dry tropics, north Queensland during a period of severe drought. Concern about climate change is ranked against other threats to the community, and their willingness and ability to reduce the perceived threat of climate change is assessed in relation to their beliefs. The results show that skeptics and climate-concerned individuals have similar levels of environmental knowledge and, despite their differing views on climate change, engage in pro-environmental behaviors such as switching lights off when not needed, installing environmentally friendly light bulbs, using a car less often, saving water and recycling. The beliefs and behaviors of climate skeptics have implications for behavioral change strategies directed at climate change--these are briefly outlined.
AB - Despite the increasing certainty and acceptance of anthropogenic climate change in scientific and political arenas, skepticism about climate change persists in the general population. This study examines the climate change perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of residents of the dry tropics, north Queensland during a period of severe drought. Concern about climate change is ranked against other threats to the community, and their willingness and ability to reduce the perceived threat of climate change is assessed in relation to their beliefs. The results show that skeptics and climate-concerned individuals have similar levels of environmental knowledge and, despite their differing views on climate change, engage in pro-environmental behaviors such as switching lights off when not needed, installing environmentally friendly light bulbs, using a car less often, saving water and recycling. The beliefs and behaviors of climate skeptics have implications for behavioral change strategies directed at climate change--these are briefly outlined.
KW - climate change, drought, threats, rural communities
UR - https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/42155/
M3 - Conference Paper published in Proceedings
T3 - Energy, Environmental and Structural Engineering Series
SP - 50
EP - 56
BT - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Climate Changes, Global Warming, Biological Problems (CGB '15)
PB - World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society
CY - Seoul, Korea
Y2 - 5 September 2015 through 7 September 2015
ER -
