Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Community Development and Applied Economics
First Advisor
Trisha Shrum
Abstract
Human actions are at the root of ecological degradation and climate change. A breadth of systemic solutions is required to achieve wellbeing within planetary bounds, including policy, economics, and education. However, beneath any utopic vision for the future lies an implicit paradigm shift in human values and behavior. This transition is poorly understood. Extreme weather events (EWEs) like hurricanes, wildfires, and heat waves can serve as focusing events that disrupt routines and encourage behavior change. As the frequency and severity of EWEs increases, we could see responses in the form of pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and windows of receptivity in which behavioral interventions would be most effective. However, the inability to reliably measure behavior makes it challenging to study. Without this fundamental aspect of the scientific process, the drivers and intervention points of PEB will remain opaque.We developed the Repeated Environmental Behavior Latent (REBL) Scale to address this problem. The REBL Scale is a Rasch modeled, survey-based measurement of short-term PEB as a latent trait. In Chapter 1, we used a structural equation model to explore how experience with EWEs is associated with REBL score in a nationally representative survey. We found a significant total effect of experience with EWEs on REBL score, but there was only marginal evidence of a direct effect. Rather, most of the effect was mediated by psychological distance to climate change as the driver of behavior. There was mixed evidence of attribution to climate change as a moderator of the effect. In Chapter 2, we used observed weather layers to verify reports of EWEs and explore how self-reporting is related to PEB as well as how regional differences moderate the link between EWEs and behavior. Ambiguous events like droughts and heat waves were vastly underreported compared to observed data, while more violent events like wildfires and tornadoes were likely overreported. Both verified and unverified groups showed a significant effect of experience with EWEs on REBL score. However, we found that political preferences correlated significantly with attribution only in the unverified group. When grouped by region, the effect of experience with EWEs on REBL score was strongest in the West and Midwest, while political preference was a significant factor only in the South. Behavioral responses to climate change are complex. While there is evidence that experiencing an EWE is associated with PEB, psychological factors can both mediate and moderate the relationship. Further, our perceptions of events can be as important as the events themselves. The strong effects in the West and Midwest could be linked to the intensity of wildfires and tornadoes common to those regions, while better communication and education could foster recognition and behavior change following more ambiguous events like heat waves. Methodological advances like the REBL Scale are essential for scientific inquiry into behavior. A better understanding of the drivers of pro-environmental behavior could help develop effective interventions and mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
Language
en
Number of Pages
199 p.
Recommended Citation
Donovan, Christopher, "Extreme Weather Events: Perception, Pro-Environmental Behavior, and the Tools to Measure Them" (2024). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 1947.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/1947
Included in
Behavioral Disciplines and Activities Commons, Economics Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons