On thinning ice: understanding the knowledge, concerns and behaviors towards polar ice loss in Germany

IF 2 Q3 GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL

Polar Geography Pub Date : 2020-04-28 DOI:10.1080/1088937x.2020.1755904

E. K. Smith, Christina Eder, Alexia Katsanidou

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

ABSTRACT Global climate change has the potential to cause rapid changes throughout the world, particularly in the polar regions. While much is known about attitudes towards climate change in general, relatively little is understood about individual orientations towards earth systems affected by climate change, and in particular, polar ice loss. Utilizing novel data from Germany, this study presents a first of its kind analysis of the relationship between knowledge, concern, and individual willingness to make behavioral changes in response to polar ice loss. We find that knowledge of changes to the polar region is positively related to concern for the polar region. But, when looking at willingness to make behavioral changes, concern for the polar regions remains the strongest predictor, while there is little direct effect of individual self-assessed knowledge. Further, concern for the polar region remains a robust predictor of willingness to make behavioral changes, even after individual driving habits are introduced to the model. As such, this analysis builds upon the emerging literature of German orientations towards climate change, as well as understanding the mechanisms by which individuals are willing to engage in behavioral changes in response to changes to the polar regions.

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关于冰变薄:了解德国对极地冰损失的认识、关注和行为

全球气候变化有可能在全世界引起快速变化，特别是在极地地区。虽然人们对气候变化的总体态度了解很多，但对受气候变化影响的地球系统，特别是极地冰损失的个别态度了解相对较少。利用来自德国的新数据，本研究首次对知识、关注和个人意愿之间的关系进行了分析，以应对极地冰的损失。我们发现，对极地变化的了解与对极地的关注呈正相关。但是，当考虑到行为改变的意愿时，对极地地区的关注仍然是最强的预测因素，而个人自我评估的知识几乎没有直接影响。此外，对极地地区的关注仍然是一个强有力的预测愿意做出行为改变，即使在个人驾驶习惯被引入模型。因此，这一分析建立在德国对气候变化取向的新兴文献的基础上，以及对个人愿意参与行为改变以应对极地变化的机制的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Polar Geography GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL-

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Polar Geographyis a quarterly publication that offers a venue for scholarly research on the physical and human aspects of the Polar Regions. The journal seeks to address the component interplay of the natural systems, the complex historical, political, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and security issues, and the interchange amongst them. As such, the journal welcomes comparative approaches, critical scholarship, and alternative and disparate perspectives from around the globe. The journal offers scientists a venue for publishing longer papers such as might result from distillation of a thesis, or review papers that place in global context results from coordinated national and international efforts currently underway in both Polar Regions.