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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2021) | Viewed by 37091

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Bernardo Hernandez

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Guest Editor

Departmento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Faculdad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, Tenerife 38205 ESPAÑA Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
Interests: environmental beliefs; place attachment; pro-enviromental behavior; ecological crime; restorativeness

Prof. Ernesto Suarez

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Guest Editor

Departmento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Faculdad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, Tenerife 38205 ESPAÑA Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
Interests: environmental beliefs; frugal behavior; sustainable consumption; ecological worldviews; psychological wellbeing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental beliefs are defined as conceptions of the links between human beings and the environment. Traditionally, environmental psychology has been oriented to analyze these beliefs in conditions of certain eco-social stability. From this perspective, the general structure of the belief system has been adequately identified. Furthermore, how environmental belief systems significantly influence the deliberation and anticipation processes that guide ecologically responsible behavior has also been studied.
However, the current and majority perceived need to develop urgent social responses to global environmental change also requires reviewing and updating knowledge on a range of environmental beliefs. These, in turn, can be regarded as basic elements in the shaping of worldviews and new lifestyles oriented towards sustainability.
This Special Issue aims to present scientific contributions that address the recent empirical analysis of environmental beliefs and their relationship to sustainability. The goal is to attract studies that address sustainable environmental beliefs, both from a general perspective and in relation to specific domains.
Therefore, we invite research papers elaborated from the following perspectives:

1) The structure of environmental beliefs and worldviews that promote the transition towards sustainability by advancing the theory that supports it.
2) The analysis of beliefs about specific aspects or dimensions of sustainability, particularly those referring to phenomena associated with global ecological change.
3) The cultural differences and gender perspectives in sustainable environmental beliefs, considered from the perspective diversity and social change.
4) The influence of environmental belief systems on sustainable behaviors. It is of particular interest that this analysis be focused on practices and contexts that cause a relevant ecological impact, such as certain specific domains of consumption (e.g., food consumption, textile purchase, collaborative consumption, and tourism), urban environments ( for example, in relation to mobility and city structure), or work organizations (in terms of commitment and corporate responsibility).

The keywords are listed below; however, other relevant associated issues will also be considered.

Prof. Bernardo Hernandez
Prof. Ernesto Suarez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Environmental beliefs
Ecological worldviews
Sustainable norms and beliefs
Environmental beliefs–emotions link
Beliefs as barriers to sustainability
Climate change beliefs
Beliefs in sustainable transition
Anti-consumption worldviews
Voluntary simplicity and frugality
Sustainable beliefs, and value orientation.

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1313 KiB

Open AccessAbstract

Linking Conservation, Community Knowledge, and Adaptation to Extreme Climatic Events: A Case Study in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

by Amemarlita Matos, Laura Barraza and Isabel Ruiz-Mallén

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6478; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116478 - 07 Jun 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3325

Abstract

This study is based on ethnographic research that analyzes how traditional knowledge and local beliefs on biodiversity conservation relates to the local ability to adapt and be resilient to climatic changes in two communities around Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique: Nhanfisse in the buffer zone and Muanandimae in the core area. A total of 78 semi-structured interviews with heads of households were conducted. We found that both communities carried out practices and held beliefs associated with conservation, such as protecting trees and animal species considered sacred or perceived as beneficial for human life in terms of water provision and agricultural production. In addition to traditional ceremonies that respond to extreme climatic events such as drought and flood, other adaptation strategies used by the communities include moving to neighboring areas in search of better living conditions and using forest products in times of scarcity. We discuss that the management of the park should be agreed on, in a shared way, between local communities and conservation agents to ensure that these areas continue to perform the ecological, subsistence, and spiritual functions required. Our research results contribute to a better understanding of local adaptation dynamics towards extreme climatic events and improvement of management strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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22 pages, 4472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

EIMECA: A Proposal for a Model of Environmental Collective Action

by Beatriz Carmona-Moya, Antonia Calvo-Salguero and María-del-Carmen Aguilar-Luzón

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5935; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13115935 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3075

Abstract

The deterioration and destruction of the environment is becoming more and more considerable and greater efforts are needed to stop it. To accomplish this feat, all members of society must identify with solving environmental problems, environmental collective action being one of the most relevant means of doing so. From this perspective, the analysis of the psychosocial factors that lead to participation in environmental collective action emerges as a priority objective in the research agenda. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine the role of “environmental identity”, as conceptualized by Clayton, as a central axis for explaining environmental collective action. The inclusion of the latter in the theoretical framework of the SIMCA (social identity model of collective action) model gives rise to the model that we have called EIMECA (environmental identity model of environmental collective action). Two studies were conducted (344 and 720 participants, respectively), and structural equation modeling was used. The results reveal that environmental identity and a variety of negative emotional affects, as well as group efficacy, accompanied by hope for a simultaneous additive effect, are critical when it comes to predicting environmental collective action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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13 pages, 324 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Beliefs about Climate Change and Their Relationship with Environmental Beliefs and Sustainable Behavior: A View from Rural Communities

by Willian Sierra-Barón, Oscar Navarro, Diana Katherine Amézquita Naranjo, Eylyn Daniela Teres Sierra and Carol Marcela Narváez González

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5326; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13095326 - 10 May 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3541

Abstract

The study of beliefs and environmental behavior is of special interest, given the implications of climate change as a social phenomenon and the disagreements about what is socially believed about this phenomenon. This research was aimed at determining the associations between environmental beliefs and sustainable behavior in a group of inhabitants of southern Colombia. The methodology was exploratory and cross-sectional, with descriptive and correlational analyses. The sample was made up of 368 people from two regions in southern Colombia (57.5% female and 42.5% male); their ages ranged between 18 and 69 years (X = 19.36; SD = 8.59). Information was collected with questionnaires that measured climate change risk perception, environmental beliefs, and sustainable behavior. The results show higher scores for equitable behavior and environmental beliefs. Environmental beliefs—egobiocentrism—and risk perception of climate change predict both sustainable and pro-ecological behavior, as well as altruistic, frugal, and equitable behavior. It is concluded that the presence of environmental beliefs, along with information regarding a sense of environmental deterioration, climate change and the consequences for the future, can predict the implementation of actions for sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

22 pages, 13628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field Environmental Philosophy: A Biocultural Ethic Approach to Education and Ecotourism for Sustainability

by Alejandra Tauro, Jaime Ojeda, Terrance Caviness, Kelli P. Moses, René Moreno-Terrazas, T. Wright, Danqiong Zhu, Alexandria K. Poole, Francisca Massardo and Ricardo Rozzi

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4526; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084526 - 19 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4924

Abstract

To contribute to achieving local and global sustainability, we propose a novel educational methodology, called field environmental philosophy (FEP), which orients ecotourism practices to reconnect citizens and nature. FEP is based on the systemic approach of the biocultural ethic that values the vital links among the life habits of co-inhabitants (humans and other-than-humans) who share a common habitat. Based on this “3Hs” model (habitats, co-inhabitants, habits), FEP combines tourism with experiential education to reorient biocultural homogenization toward biocultural conservation. FEP’s methodological approach seeks to integrate social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability by generating new links between biological and cultural diversity at different spatial and social scales. Ecotourism has an underutilized potential to link sciences with education and conservation practices at different scales. By incorporating a philosophical foundation, FEP broadens both understanding and practices of environmental education and sustainable tourism. FEP has been developed at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile, at the southern end of the Americas since 2000, where it has oriented transdisciplinary work for the creation of new protected areas and ecotourism practices. FEP enables an integration of biophysical, cultural, and institutional dimensions into the design of ecotourism activities that transform and broaden the perceptions of tourists, local guides, students, and other participants to better appreciate local biological and cultural diversity. FEP’s methodology is starting to be adapted in other world regions, such as Germany, Japan, and Mexico, to integrate education and ecotourism for sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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12 pages, 721 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feeling Good in the Place We Live: The Moderating Role of the Perception of Environmental Resources in the Relationship between Values and Personal and Family Well-Being

by Fridanna Maricchiolo, Oriana Mosca, Daniele Paolini and Davide Marino

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084407 - 15 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2235

Abstract

The environmental psychological literature suggested that three different value orientations (egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric) are relevant for understanding environmental beliefs and intentions. We surveyed 365 Italian adults of different ages (range 18–87) to examine whether the egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric value orientations can lead to personal and/or family related well-being. Additionally, it is examined whether the perception of presence and accessibility of two types of environmental resources (natural and urbanistic) related to ecosystem services can moderate the relation between value orientations and personal and family well-being. Results of moderation analyses showed that people with high biospheric values felt themselves as more satisfied if they perceived high and medium (but not low) presence or accessibility of natural resources in their environment, while people with high egoistic values perceived their family more satisfied if they perceived the high and medium (but not low) presence of good infrastructures in their environment of living. No significant moderation model emerged considering the participants’ altruistic values. The implications for environmental beliefs and well-being are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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13 pages, 631 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychosocial Predispositions Towards Sustainability and Their Relationship with Environmental Identity

by Ricardo Ernesto Pérez Ibarra, César Octavio Tapia-Fonllem, Blanca Silvia Fraijo-Sing, Natalia Nieblas Soto and Lucia Poggio

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7195; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12177195 - 03 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2910

Abstract

Environmental psychology is a particular area or subfield of psychology, especially involved in the delimitation of the causes and solutions of environmental problems. This area deals with the study of the interactions between human behavior and the socio-physical components of the environment. The emphasis on the interrelationship of environment and behavior is important; not only physical settings affect people’s behavior, individuals actively influence the environment. Thus, several studies have proposed the existence of a series of predispositions which allow the appreciation of diversity and the interdependence of person–environment relationships, making it possible to adopt lifestyles that can guarantee the sustainability of socio-ecological systems for present and future generations. Therefore, in order to work towards the goals of sustainability, it is necessary to know which are the inclinations or dispositions that people present when caring for the environment. The objective of this research was to identify the association between the variables of psychosocial predispositions towards sustainability with environmental identity in a sample of higher education students from southern Sonora. Nine different scales to measure these predispositions were applied to 417 students, considering emotions towards the environment, environmental and socio-environmental actions, as well as a scale to measure environmental identity. Results revealed, on the one hand, that first-order factors emerged consistently, indicating the presence of a higher-order factor (psychosocial predispositions towards sustainability). On the other hand, we found this construct is related in a bidirectional way with environmental identity, that is, that both the emotions and actions carried out by the students in favor of the environment are related to the degree of identification they have with it, and vice versa, thereby demonstrating an interdependence relationship between these two variables. These findings suggest that the presence of certain psychological characteristics in people would promote a closer relationship with nature, which could encourage participation in caring for the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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12 pages, 249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of a Nature-Based Environmental Education Program on Children’s Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors: A Randomized Experiment with Primary Schools

by Silvia Collado, Claudio D. Rosa and José A. Corraliza

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6817; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12176817 - 22 Aug 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7013

Abstract

The evidence about the effects of nature-based instruction on pro-environmentalism is uncompelling, mainly due to a lack of controlled experiments. This hinders causal claims and the provision of intervention guidelines. We present an experiment examining the impact of a nature-based environmental education (NBEE) program included in the school curriculum on children’s environmental attitudes (EA) and behaviors (EB). Children who followed the program through traditional instruction were used as a control group. Seven Spanish primary schools participated in the program and school classes were randomly assigned to the NBEE program (experimental group, N = 516) or the environmental education (EE) through traditional instruction (control group, N = 218). Our results indicate that children’s EA increased more in the NBEE group than in the control group. On average, EB remained virtually the same in both groups of children across time. In light of our findings, we encourage the promotion of a nature-based pedagogy in formal education to enhance children’s environmental attitudes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

18 pages, 2521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Goal Framing as a Tool for Changing People’s Car Travel Behavior in Sweden

by Kerstin Westin, Annika Nordlund, Johan Jansson and Jonas Nilsson

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3695; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12093695 - 02 May 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4976

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of car drivers’ assessment of a sustainability policy involving increased car parking fees in Swedish city centers. The aim of the study was to investigate how framing of information in text and pictures influences acceptance of increasing car parking fees and how values, general beliefs and norms as well as measure-specific beliefs influence the acceptability of the measure. Drawing on Goal Framing Theory, the acceptance of a parking fee policy was tested using three different goal frames (hedonic, gain and normative); the frames were compared with each other and a control message. The study was based on a survey directed to residents (18 to 75 years of age) in 51 larger municipalities in Sweden. The survey had an experimental design. Respondents were presented with a scenario of an increase in parking fees to promote environmental sustainability. The scenario was presented in three ways (manipulations), highlighting hedonic (e.g., emotional), gain, and normative aspects, respectively, in text and pictures. The results showed that the three message frames had different effects and were overall more effective than the control message in engendering the desired reduction in private car use and, thus, the intended environmental impact. Further, the degree of acceptability of the increased parking fee influenced the expected behavioral change in the groups receiving a goal framed message in relation to the parking fee measure. Implications from a sustainability perspective concern the importance of how environmental policies are framed when communicated to the public in order to increase acceptance and support. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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18 pages, 1843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Key Aspects of Leisure Experiences in Protected Wilderness Areas: Notions of Nature, Senses of Place and Perceived Benefits

by Andrés Ried, María Jesús Monteagudo, Pelayo Benavides, Anne Le Bon, Stephanie Carmody and Rodrigo Santos

Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3211; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12083211 - 16 Apr 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3027

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to contribute to the understanding of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas. This was pursued through the interpretation and analysis of three variables; the personal notion of “Nature”, perception of benefits, and senses of place put forward by resident and non-resident visitors to three protected wilderness areas in southern Chile. Through a post hoc qualitative, in-depth interview with 36 subjects, connections between the aforementioned variables were established. Among the results, the strength with which the romantic notion of Nature appears linked with leisure experiences was highlighted. With the latter, leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas were identified as the generators of “benefits” and “sense of place”. Finally, four key dimensions of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas emerged: transcendence, perception of well-being, connection and environmental awareness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Beliefs)

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