RE-FRAMING ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR CHANGE: Insight from the Consensus research project Dr Ruth Doyle, Environment Ireland 2013, 12 September, Croke Park
PRESENTATION OUTLINE 1. Myths of behaviour change 2. Systemic challenges 3. Consensus research 4. Everyday consumption practices 5. Lessons & next steps
MYTHS OF BEHAVIOUR CHANGE 1. Small changes will achieve a lot Environmental action in one area can justify indulgence in other areas ( licensing effect ) Rebound effects need to move beyond efficiency fixes & small tweaks
MYTHS OF BEHAVIOUR CHANGE 2. People act in a rational way Role of impulse, habit & contextual constraints 3. Information è attitudes è behaviour change Attitudes are weak predictors of environmental action Complexity of social, regulatory, technical inputs shape our daily behaviour
SYSTEMIC PROBLEM Iron cage of consumerism (Jackson, 2009) Political & economic system perpetuates consumption-oriented growth Locked-in to consumption patterns Perfect storm coalescing demand for food, water and energy by 2020 (Prof John Beddington, 2009) Need to integrate socio-cultural, technological & regulatory changes
CONSENSUS CONSENSUS: Consumption, Environment, Sustainability TCD & NUIG, funded by EPA STRIVE programme 2008-2013 75% of the environmental impact of consumption by the public = direct consumption in 3 areas: mobility, eating & housing (water, energy & waste) (EEA, 2012). Social practices: Water Washing Energy Heating Food Shopping Cooking Wasting Sustainable behaviour change = Challenge of innovation in daily practices
EVOLUTION OF WASHING
SOCIAL PRACTICES Material context Regulatory context Social context
COLLABORATIVE BACKCASTING Backcasting = an innovation, governance and social learning process. Conducted separately for food, energy & water research 80+ stakeholders involved & 90 members of public
FUTURE VISIONS Visioning process Question: How might we deliver the results of washing / heating practices more sustainably in the year 2050? Answer: Promote solutions that help make our practices 1) ADAPTIVE 2) EFFICIENT 3) PRO-SOCIAL
1) ADAPTIVE PRACTICES Challenging standardised / non-reflective practices For example daily showering, expectations of 21 c indoor temperature, or non-seasonal vegetables. Adapt in accordance with personal needs: For example, diagnosing washing needs, or wearable thermostats to measure personal & ambient temperature link this to heating. Adapt in accordance with ecological conditions: Developing understanding of local resource availability assisted with advanced ICT systems. Tailoring practices in response.
2) EFFICIENT PRACTICES Resource charges & metering Direct feedback at point of use Targets & benchmarking Technological efficiency improvements Empowering people to adjust their behaviour with efficient technologies rather than 100% automation.
3) PRO-SOCIAL PRACTICES Social pressure Linking social status to responsible consumption Making (un)sustainable consumption visible to public Group behaviour change E.g. Green Schools & Japanese CoolBiz campaign Collaborative consumption Collective provisioning Sharing economy (e.g. Zip Car & Freetrade.ie)
Sustainable Personal Washing practices TRANSITION FRAMEWORK
RE-FRAMING THE AGENDA FROM TARGETING INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR è EVERYDAY PRACTICES RE-FRAME THE CHALLENGE OF BEHAVIOUR CHANGE AS A CHALLENGE OF INNOVATION IN EVERYDAY PRACTICES COLLABORATIVE BACKCASTING TO DEVELOP INNOVATIONS FOCUSING ON SOCIAL, MATERIAL & REGULATORY DIMENSIONS OF EVERYDAY PRACTICES CAN HELP ALIGN VISIONS & STRATEGY OF PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY NEXT STEPS LIVING LABS
THANK YOU Contact: rdoyle4@tcd.ie The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation Albert Einstein www.consensus.ie
EXAMPLE OF INTERVENTIONS WASHING