Behaviour Change Nudges

Behaviour Change is Key to Climate Action

In a 2021 report, the IEA stated that net-zero could not be reached by 2050 without the “consent and active support” of individuals, reflected in their day-to-day behaviour (IEA, 2021). This is because there are limits to what technological advances can achieve - ultimately, if changes are to be successful, public acceptance is essential. For example, electric vehicles may exist, but to decarbonate the transport sector they need to be accepted by individuals and purchased on a global scale. Generally, there is considerable potential to change our waste management and consumption patterns, and behavioural science could be a tool in enabling us to do so.

By improving our understanding of human behaviour, experts are better able to influence it through a notion called “behavioural interventions”. In the context of climate change, such an intervention could result in shifting our everyday choice patterns and habits to become more sustainable. UNEP provides the following examples of how this can be done:

1.     Making the default option the better option (e.g., if carbon offset were the opt-out rather than opt-in option across airline booking sites).

2.     Changing how choices are presented to favour sustainable behaviour

3.     Removing the “unsustainable” option altogether

4.     Removing the hassle factor

5.     Going small, making it personal

Behavioural Science: A tool with Untapped Potential

Behavioural interventions may be leverage to the fight against climate change, but despite this, their potential largely remains untapped as behavioural science is rarely incorporated into “real world politics”, or policy design and implementation (Nature Climate Change), leaving other factors to drive behavioural change instead. Individual behaviour can be influenced by a multitude of factors, be they internal, such as information, skills, the ability to exercise behavioural control, etc., or external, such as cultural and societal norms, family influences and marketing campaigns (Fink, et al., 2021).

Above: the “intention-behaviour” gap.

This disconnect between intention and behaviour can be caused by several factors, including feeling a sense of despair or apathy by the enormity of the problem (“What difference would it make if I give up Nutella when everyone else keeps buying it?”); not knowing how to change your behaviour to meet the intention (Should I give up my Nutella, protest, or sign a petition against deforestation?”), or lacking the means to act due to social, financial, or political barriers (“I want to act, but I can’t afford sustainable alternatives”). Lower-carbon options may be more expensive, impractical, unavailable, or even impossible, depending on the circumstances. As stated by Carmel McQuaid, Head of Sustainability at the major retailer, Marks & Spencer, “People want to do the right thing, but life gets in the way, there are too many obstacles or they are too busy. If we can remove the friction, we will be more successful”. 

Considering these difficulties, Blue is fully aware that the onus should not solely be on individuals to change their behaviour when their environment and lifestyles are often so heavily reliant on high energy demand (Cass, N. 2022). ‘Removing the friction” is not something that can be achieved overnight, but arguably, the more we do so the more behaviour change has the potential to be effective, especially as it gains momentum. Consider the law of supply and demand – depending on the price elasticity of the product, fluctuations in demand usually have an impact on supply, even if this may not be immediate. There are increasing calls for governments to address this “friction”. A 2022 report by the Commission on Environment & Climate Change of the House of Lords highlighted, for example, that the UK government had not yet motivated and built public acceptability for major changes, despite it being a crucial part of the government’s net-zero strategy. Whilst we wait for policy action, is there another way to facilitate much-needed behaviour change?

Behaviour can, of course, also be influenced by a desire to protect the environment. Many people are now aware, at least to some extent, of the issues our planet faces and would consider themselves to have “pro-environmental” values. For example, they may see a campaign claiming that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest for the production of palm oil is unjust. Some of them may adopt this way of thinking and some may even go beyond that and intend to act on it by making more sustainable choices when shopping, for example. However, this is where a disconnect is often found as many of these individuals stop short of translating this value, attitude or intention into real action, or behaviour change. To go back to our previous example, Jim may watch a documentary on the devastating effects of deforestation in the rainforest and intend to make more sustainable choices as a consumer by cutting out palm oil-based products from his diet. However, when he goes to the supermarket, he still buys Nutella for his crepes, which contains palm oil. This is known as the “value-action” gap or “intention-behaviour gap”.