Feeling guilt or shame about the climate?
The predictions of a looming climate change-driven catastrophe are unfolding before our very eyes. The alarm bells of climate urgency are deafening. Take a plane for the meeting? Order meat from the menu? Buy plastic water bottles? We’re constantly bombarded with these daily decisions and priorities that ultimately impact environmental issues. What affects the choices we make? A research team at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark investigated how the so-called eco-guilt and eco-shame influenced individuals and their everyday behaviour. The findings were published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Sustainability’.
Climate anxious?
The researchers interviewed Danes who represented a cross-section of the population based on gender, education, age, place of residence and engagement level. They found that environmentally aware participants were more likely to feel guilty when they failed to meet their own high environmental standards. Those less conscious felt shame because they lacked engagement. “People who care deeply about the environment experience guilt for not doing enough, as they assume a high degree of responsibility for their actions and impact on the environment,” explained study lead author Rikke Sigmer Nielsen of the Department of Food and Resource Economics in a news release. “Meanwhile, individuals who care less tend to feel shame over their lack of interest and action with regards to environmental issues, which is often triggered during social interaction.” Decision-makers who develop or inform policies, strategies and communications to promote more eco-conscious behaviour can benefit from the study. “The results can help policymakers and organizations design more effective campaigns and political initiatives aimed at promoting more sustainable behaviour,” stated Dr Nielsen.
Is it right to use guilt and shame as weapons?
The study could spark a larger ethical and moral debate about employing guilt and shame in communicating about the environment. “Invoking shame often leads to resistance and defiance rather than positive behavioural change. And that’s not where we want to go,” concluded Dr Nielsen. “But some people — those who care about environmental issues — might in some cases use their feelings of guilt and shame as a kind of moral compass to motivate them to act more sustainably. So, these emotions are complex and need to be deeply understood if we are to encourage pro-environmental behaviour.”
Keywords
guilt, shame, climate, environment, behaviour, eco-guilt, eco-shame