Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines
In recent years, changing lifestyle, consumption and mobility patterns have contributed to a global rise in greenhouse gases responsible for the warming of the planet. Despite its increasing relevance, there is a lack of understanding of factors influencing the environmental behavior of people from...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
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Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab5ea0 |
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author | Roman Hoffmann Raya Muttarak |
author_facet | Roman Hoffmann Raya Muttarak |
author_sort | Roman Hoffmann |
collection | DOAJ |
description | In recent years, changing lifestyle, consumption and mobility patterns have contributed to a global rise in greenhouse gases responsible for the warming of the planet. Despite its increasing relevance, there is a lack of understanding of factors influencing the environmental behavior of people from emerging economies. In this study, we focus on the role of formal education for pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines and study three potentially underlying mechanisms explaining the education effects: differential knowledge about climate change, risk perceptions, and awareness. Whilst there is some evidence showing that education is associated with pro-environmental behavior, little is known about the actual mechanisms through which it influences decision-making. Using propensity score methods, we find that an additional year of schooling significantly increases the probability of pro-environmental actions, e.g. planting trees, recycling, and proper waste management, by 3.3%. Further decomposing the education effects, it is found that education influences behavior mainly by increasing awareness about the anthropogenic causes of climate change, which may consequently affect the perception of self-efficacy in reducing human impacts on the environment. Knowledge and perceptions about climate risks also explain the education effect on pro-environmental behavior, but to a lesser extent. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:54:05Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-cecbca4bc5194febaf1e593b4260cb9b |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1748-9326 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:54:05Z |
publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
publisher | IOP Publishing |
record_format | Article |
series | Environmental Research Letters |
spelling | doaj.art-cecbca4bc5194febaf1e593b4260cb9b2023-08-09T15:02:36ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262020-01-0115101400910.1088/1748-9326/ab5ea0Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the PhilippinesRoman Hoffmann0Raya Muttarak1Vienna Institute of Demography/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU), Vienna, AustriaInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU), Laxenburg, Austria; School of International Development, University of East Anglia , Norwich, United KingdomIn recent years, changing lifestyle, consumption and mobility patterns have contributed to a global rise in greenhouse gases responsible for the warming of the planet. Despite its increasing relevance, there is a lack of understanding of factors influencing the environmental behavior of people from emerging economies. In this study, we focus on the role of formal education for pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines and study three potentially underlying mechanisms explaining the education effects: differential knowledge about climate change, risk perceptions, and awareness. Whilst there is some evidence showing that education is associated with pro-environmental behavior, little is known about the actual mechanisms through which it influences decision-making. Using propensity score methods, we find that an additional year of schooling significantly increases the probability of pro-environmental actions, e.g. planting trees, recycling, and proper waste management, by 3.3%. Further decomposing the education effects, it is found that education influences behavior mainly by increasing awareness about the anthropogenic causes of climate change, which may consequently affect the perception of self-efficacy in reducing human impacts on the environment. Knowledge and perceptions about climate risks also explain the education effect on pro-environmental behavior, but to a lesser extent.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab5ea0developing countrypro-environmental behavioreducationmechanismsmediation analysisPhilippines |
spellingShingle | Roman Hoffmann Raya Muttarak Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines Environmental Research Letters developing country pro-environmental behavior education mechanisms mediation analysis Philippines |
title | Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines |
title_full | Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines |
title_fullStr | Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines |
title_full_unstemmed | Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines |
title_short | Greening through schooling: understanding the link between education and pro-environmental behavior in the Philippines |
title_sort | greening through schooling understanding the link between education and pro environmental behavior in the philippines |
topic | developing country pro-environmental behavior education mechanisms mediation analysis Philippines |
url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab5ea0 |
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