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Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 6676

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Felix Ekardt

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Law and Interdisciplinary Faculty, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock, Germany
Interests: sustainability/environmental policy; global, European, national and regional governance; process of transformation and social learning towards more sustainability; theory of justice/human rights on an international, European and national level; legal issues in sustainability law, environmental law, economic law, constitutional law, European law and international law
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
Interests: sustainability transformation; behavioral change; pro-environmental behaviour; food consumption; ocean literacy; climate justice; emotions; media; lobbyism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability objectives—such as the Paris climate targets—require different strategies such as technological change and behavior change. These strategies can take place on a voluntary basis, but can also be implemented by various policy instruments such as regulatory law and economic incentives. Although these policies (or governance) instruments are relatively well investigated, the motivational drivers of different kinds of actors, such as political, economic, and societal actors—as well as the interactions between these actors—still deserve further research. This is the starting point of this Special Issue on sustainability transformation and behavior change. We want to investigate the specific conditions for voluntary individual behavior change, as well as the preconditions of acceptance for policy instruments that incentivize behavior change. How the different actors influence each other and how the interaction between technological and behavioral change works and makes societal change possible are of particular interest to this Special Issue. Examples of analyzing successful (policy) interventions to promote and achieve behavior change towards a sustainability transformation are welcome as well.

Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches should play a special role, i.e., approaches that do not operate from disciplinary boundaries but from questions of content without excessive subordination to established disciplinary dogmas. We invite qualitative as well as quantitative studies that adhere to high-quality standards and provide plausible justifications for their methodological choices and study design.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Felix Ekardt
Prof. Dr. Susanne Stoll-Kleemann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

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Keywords

sustainability transformation
behavior change
pro-environmental behavior
societal change
environmental justice
(policy) interventions

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability Science Communication: Case Study of a True Cost Campaign in Germany

by Lennart Stein, Amelie Michalke, Tobias Gaugler and Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3842; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093842 - 03 May 2024

Viewed by 357

Abstract

The Anthropocene, marked by human-induced climate change, necessitates urgent action to address climate goals and respect planetary boundaries. While sustainability research provides knowledge, the first challenge lies in communicating the findings in an adequate manner to the public and several stakeholders, such as economic and political actors. Therefore, this study explores the significance of science communication in sustainability science, focusing on a case study—the True Cost Accounting (TCA) campaign by the University of Greifswald, Technical Institute of Nuremberg, and German retailer PENNY. TCA herein serves as a transparency tool, economic incentive, and discussion basis for sustainable consumption. This study investigates consumer perceptions of ecological prices of foods through a face-to-face survey during the 2023 PENNY campaign, comparing results to an informational campaign carried out in 2021. Findings indicate a high awareness of the true cost campaign in 2023, with 50.8% of participants hearing about it. Consumers’ willingness to pay true costs and potential behavior changes were explored. In comparison to results from the informational campaign of 2021, customers showed a decrease in this WTP when the true prices would actually impact their spending, indicating an attitude–behavior gap. In addition, a willingness to reduce the consumption of animal foods—if TCA was implemented—of 60.5% was determined, which suggests that TCA has the potential for sustainable behavior change. This study highlights factors that influence consumer attitudes and preferences regarding the inclusion of TCAs, such as environmental, social, and animal welfare costs. Customers’ understanding of increased prices—like, in this case, the compensation for environmental and social costs—is an argument in favor of true prices. The results emphasize the need for differentiated scientific communication strategies to bridge knowledge and action gaps in sustainability science. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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15 pages, 684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender and Socioeconomic Influences on Ten Pro-Environmental Behavior Intentions: A German Comparative Study

by Paul Schulz, Susanne Nicolai, Samuel Tomczyk, Silke Schmidt, Philipp Franikowski and Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2816; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072816 - 28 Mar 2024

Viewed by 473

Abstract

Pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) such as climate-friendly mobility and eating habits hold great promise in terms of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, thus, are important goals for addressing climate change from a population perspective. Yet, sociodemographic correlates and differences in PEB intentions have to be considered in designing messages and behavior change interventions. This study implemented a quota-sampling survey (N = 979, 511 women, 468 men, age M = 50.4, SD = 17.2) of the German population and found that, overall, participants exhibit strong intentions to engage in various PEBs, with the exception of cycling and adopting a vegetarian diet. Moreover, women displayed higher intentions to engage in PEBs compared to men, particularly in adopting a vegetarian diet. The relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and PEB intentions, as well as the combined effects of gender and SES, were inconsistent for different PEB intentions. We conclude that on a population level, intention-building interventions are necessary for vegetarianism and cycling, while for the other PEBs, interventions may focus on closing the intention–behavior gap. There is a need to further research the interplay of different PEBs in diverse groups and for interventional studies targeting the discrepancy in eating habits across genders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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20 pages, 739 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Behavior as a Target of Environmental Policy: Which Policy Instruments Are Adequate to Incentivize Plant-Based Diets?

by Katharina Schleicher and Annette Elisabeth Töller

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062415 - 14 Mar 2024

Viewed by 785

Abstract

Meat consumption causes major damage to the environment, such as the pollution of air, water, and soil, and contributes significantly to biodiversity loss and climate change. To reach environmental and climate targets, agricultural production methods need to be addressed politically. However, dietary behavior also needs to change. This is especially the case in Western countries with unsustainably high meat consumption, such as Germany. Based on a systematic analysis of the literature of different disciplines, the article examines the following: (a) Factors influencing food behavior; (b) Policy instruments effectively contributing to behavior change; (c) Potential problems with regard to their political feasibility. Using Germany as an example, the analysis shows that only a combination of measures is promising to achieve a reduction in meat consumption—both in terms of effectiveness as well as political feasibility. Instruments need to change contextual conditions in a way that makes sustainable nutritional choices the easier ones. In the longer term, education programs and campaigns can help to change basic influencing factors such as norms or values. And, in the short term, these factors can be activated and become relevant for action in the respective decision-making situations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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16 pages, 2264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distinguishing between Low- and High-Cost Pro-Environmental Behavior: Empirical Evidence from Two Complementary Studies

by Henriette Rau, Susanne Nicolai, Philipp Franikowski and Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 2206; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052206 - 06 Mar 2024

Viewed by 674

Abstract

To reach sustainability goals, researchers and policymakers must focus on addressing changes toward more pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Therefore, this study shows evidence-based perceptions of low- and high-cost behaviors and deduces recommendations for PEB interventions. We applied a multi-step mixed-method approach: First, a representative online survey was conducted to collect a general quantitative overview and classify low- and high-cost behavior based on past behavior and behavioral intentions. Second, a gamification intervention that aimed to gain quantitative data about certain behaviors and perceived low- and high-costs was conducted with university students. The results of the two studies showed that PEB can easily be categorized into high-, rather-high-, rather-low-, and low-cost behavior. However, this classification is not based on emission sectors, e.g., mobility, but on the specific behavior. Interventions can be recommended according to subjective costs: For example, low-cost behavior does not need additional interventions in most cases but must be maintained as is. According to the empirical findings, high-cost behavior needs top-down interventions, while rather-high- and rather-low-cost behavior requires bottom-up interventions to achieve behavior changes. In summary, managing interventions using this classification and focusing on high-impact behavior can lead to successful behavior changes and emission reductions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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18 pages, 1213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Turning the Tide: An Analysis of Factors Influencing the Adoption of Biodiversity-Enhancing Measures on Agricultural Land at the German Baltic Coast

by Kathleen Schwerdtner Máñez, Wanda Born and Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010317 - 29 Dec 2023

Viewed by 623

Abstract

The agricultural sector plays a major role in turning the tide of biodiversity loss. In the European Union, land use decisions and biodiversity are strongly influenced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Despite massive investment in subsidies to incentivize environmentally friendly farming practices, the CAP has so far failed to preserve the biodiversity of Europe’s farmland. A simplistic understanding of farmers’ motivations, dominated by rational, economic cost–benefit considerations, is one of the reasons for this failure. Our study contributes to this discussion through the identification of factors influencing the decision making of farmers. Through a case study approach in a biodiversity-rich region on the German Baltic coast—the so-called hotspot 29—we classify a number of personal, social/group, and external factors relevant to the implementation of biodiversity-enhancing measures on agricultural land. Applying a model of pro-environmental behavior, we illustrate the interlinkages between factors and outline potential solutions to support biodiversity-enhancing behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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16 pages, 322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The German Climate Verdict, Human Rights, Paris Target, and EU Climate Law

by Felix Ekardt and Marie Bärenwaldt

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12993; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712993 - 29 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1191

Abstract

The German Constitutional Court’s climate verdict provided a re-interpretation of core liberal-democratic concepts, and it is highly relevant for liberal constitutional law in general, including EU and international law—where similar issues are currently being discussed in ongoing trials before the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. The present article applies a legal interpretation to analyse the national and transnational implications of the ruling. The results show that the verdict accepts human rights as intertemporal and globally applicable. It applies the precautionary principle to these rights and frees them from the misleading causality debate. However, the court failed to address the most important violations of human rights, it categorised climate policy as a greater threat to freedom than climate change, and the court failed to acknowledge that the Paris 1.5-degree limit implies a radically smaller carbon budget. Furthermore, little attention has so far been paid to the fact that the ruling implies an obligation for greater EU climate protection, especially since most emissions are regulated supranationally. Against this backdrop, the EU emissions trading system demands a reform, which has to go well beyond the existing EU proposals so as to enable societal transformations towards sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

19 pages, 831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Endowment Effect in the Circular Economy: Do Broken Products Face Less of a Trading Barrier Than Intact or Repaired Ones?

by Ebo Botchway, Jan Verpooten, Ine van der Beken, Justina Baršytė and Siegfried Dewitte

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11813; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511813 - 01 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 982

Abstract

Repairers may play a substantial role in the shift from a linear (make, use, dispose) to a more circular economy, where resources are continually reused and waste is minimized, which is therefore by definition more sustainable. Repaired defective products are usually reused by their owners or may be traded in a second-hand market. A barrier commonly associated with trading is the endowment effect, which is caused by the difference between the maximum amount buyers are willing to pay for a product and the minimum amount sellers are willing to accept for a product. The present study examined whether second-hand market exchanges face an endowment effect, including in situations where the products are broken and repairers are recruited to repair possible defects in the product. An online survey that randomly assigns participants to one of eight experimental conditions (four product types × two buyer/seller statuses) was used for this study. The results show significant endowment effects for intact products and defective products with a repairer involved, but not for defective products. Furthermore, endowment effects occur for different product types. This suggests that sellers may be reluctant to sell their products in terms of the value that buyers would want to pay for them when repairers are easily accessible, which may impede transactions from taking place. The transaction of broken products may be facilitated by designing a system whereby sellers sell broken products to repairers and buyers buy repaired products from repairers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transformation to Sustainability and Behavior Change)

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