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Matiiuk Y, Krikštolaitis R, Liobikienė G. The Covid-19 pandemic in context of climate change perception and resource-saving behavior in the European Union countries. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 2023; 395:136433. [PMID: 36818660 PMCID: PMC9925455 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The resource-saving behavior in the recent period is escalating particularly due to the energy and prices crises in all of the European Union (EU). The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused changes in health concerns but also in environmental awareness and behavior. Thus, this paper aims to reveal whether the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the resource-saving behavior, and how this pandemic changed the climate change perception and personal responsibility in the EU countries. Referring to two surveys conducted in all EU countries in 2019 and 2021, the results revealed that the level of climate change perception during this period significantly decreased in all EU. Meanwhile, the level of responsibility placed on the government to solve the climate change problem increased the most. A level of the personal responsibility increased negligibly. Considering resource-saving behaviors, only the lesser usage of disposable items from 2019 to 2021 increased statistically significantly. The results of an analysis of the main determinants of resource-saving behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic period revealed that personal responsibility and the climate change solution's benefit for health positively and significantly determined all the analyzed actions. The climate change perception and climate change solution's benefit for the economy statistically significantly influenced waste reduction, the purchase of efficient appliances, and the usage of pro-environmental transportation mode instead of personal cars. Health benefits instead of the economic benefits statistically significantly contributed to the resource-saving behaviors, except for actions that require more monetary investments. The satisfaction with the COVID-19 pandemic management had an insignificant negative impact on all resource-saving actions. Thus, the tools assigned to manage this pandemic did not motivate people to save natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliia Matiiuk
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų str. 11, Akademija, LT-52261, Kaunas dist., Lithuania
| | - Ričardas Krikštolaitis
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Vytautas Magnus University, Universiteto str. 10, Akademija, LT, 53361, Kaunas Dist, Lithuania
| | - Genovaitė Liobikienė
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų str. 11, Akademija, LT-52261, Kaunas dist., Lithuania
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Hidalgo-Triana N, Picornell A, Reyes S, Circella G, Ribeiro H, Bates AE, Rojo J, Pearman PB, Vivancos JMA, Nautiyal S, Brearley FQ, Pereña J, Ferragud M, Monroy-Colín A, Maya-Manzano JM, Ouachinou JMAS, Salvo-Tierra AE, Antunes C, Trigo-Pérez M, Navarro T, Jaramillo P, Oteros J, Charalampopoulos A, Kalantzi OI, Freitas H, Ščevková J, Zanolla M, Marrano A, Comino O, Roldán JJ, Alcántara AF, Damialis A. Perceptions of change in the environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for environmental policy. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW 2023; 99:107013. [PMID: 36532697 PMCID: PMC9744709 DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2022.107013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 lockdown measures have impacted the environment with both positive and negative effects. However, how human populations have perceived such changes in the natural environment and how they may have changed their daily habits have not been yet thoroughly evaluated. The objectives of this work were to investigate (1) the social perception of the environmental changes produced by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the derived change in habits in relation to i) waste management, energy saving, and sustainable consumption, ii) mobility, iii) social inequalities, iv) generation of noise, v) utilization of natural spaces, and, vi) human population perception towards the future, and (2) the associations of these potential new habits with various socio-demographic variables. First, a SWOT analysis identified strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T) generated by the pandemic lockdown measures. Second, a survey based on the aspects of the SWOT was administered among 2370 adults from 37 countries during the period from February to September 2021. We found that the short-term positive impacts on the natural environment were generally well recognized. In contrast, longer-term negative effects arise, but they were often not reported by the survey participants, such as greater production of plastic waste derived from health safety measures, and the increase in e-commerce use, which can displace small storefront businesses. We were able to capture a mismatch between perceptions and the reported data related to visits to natural areas, and generation of waste. We found that age and country of residence were major contributors in shaping the survey participants ´answers, which highlights the importance of government management strategies to address current and future environmental problems. Enhanced positive perceptions of the environment and ecosystems, combined with the understanding that livelihood sustainability, needs to be prioritized and would reinforce environmental protection policies to create greener cities. Moreover, new sustainable jobs in combination with more sustainable human habits represent an opportunity to reinforce environmental policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hidalgo-Triana
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A Picornell
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - S Reyes
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Department of Geography (Geographic Analysis Research Group), 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - G Circella
- Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, USA
- Department of Geography, Ghent University. 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - H Ribeiro
- Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto and Earth Sciences Institute (ICT), Pole of the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - A E Bates
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - J Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - P B Pearman
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Bizkaia 48940, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, Scientific Campus, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - J M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, Kennedy College of Sciences, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
| | - S Nautiyal
- Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru 560 072, India
| | - F Q Brearley
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
| | - J Pereña
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - M Ferragud
- University of Valencia, Faculty of Sciences, Spain
| | - A Monroy-Colín
- University of Extremadura, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Vegetal Biology, Ecology and Earth Science (Botany Area), 06006 Badajoz, Spain
| | - J M Maya-Manzano
- University of Valencia, Faculty of Sciences, Spain
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany
- University of Extremadura, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Vegetal Biology, Ecology and Earth Science (Botany Area), 06006 Badajoz, Spain
| | - J M A Sènami Ouachinou
- Laboratoire de Botanique et Ecologie Végétale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Universite d'Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - A E Salvo-Tierra
- Technical Director Chair Climate Change on UMA, University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - C Antunes
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Health and Human Development & Institute of Earth Sciences - ICT, University of Évora, Evora, Portugal
| | - M Trigo-Pérez
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - T Navarro
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - P Jaramillo
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 200102, Ecuador
| | - J Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - A Charalampopoulos
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - O I Kalantzi
- Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - H Freitas
- University of Coimbra, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - J Ščevková
- Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany, Révová 39, 811 02 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - M Zanolla
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A Marrano
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, CA, USA
| | - O Comino
- Estudios de Flora y Vegetación SL (EFYVE), 29580 Cártama, Málaga, Spain
| | - J J Roldán
- University of Málaga, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology (Botany Area), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - A F Alcántara
- Centro de Cooperación del Mediterráneo de UICN, 29590 Campanillas, Málaga, Spain
| | - A Damialis
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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