From empty words to green action

By international comparison, the Swedes are among those with best knowledge of environmental and climate problems. Even so, we have not changed our lifestyles very radically. Car use continues to rise, flights to Thailand take off at an undiminished rate and meat consumption is increasing all the time – while all the reports suggest that the earth is at greater risk than ever.

How is it possible to know as much and be as concerned as the Swedes, and still continue to live as normal‘ How can more people be persuaded to move from words to action’

Mikael Klintman at the Institute for Research Policy has spent a lot of time considering these questions. He has studied green consumption and lifestyles and is involved in the LETS 2050 programme, which researches paths to a low-carbon society (see box).

When it comes to climate issues, Mikael Klintman thinks it is possible to divide people into four groups based on what they do and how they think.

The first group are ‘environment freaks’, who both think and act in a climate friendly manner, a second group comprises those who don’t believe in the climate threat and therefore do nothing, and a third lack interest in the environment but still take some action (for example, installing a heat pump for financial reasons).

These groups are all quite small. The fourth group, however, is large. Roughly three-quarters of people in the Western world fall into the group ‘concerned but passive’. They might sort their rubbish as best they can, but then they go on holiday to the other side of the globe. Or perhaps they cycle to the gym in the evening, but drive many kilometres to work every day.


This contradictory behaviour should really be impossible, according to the established social psychology theory of cognitive dissonance. It says that people feel so bad about thinking or feeling one thing and doing another that either their thoughts or their actions gradually change. However, in this area most people seem to be able to live happily in contravention of the theory.

“The reason is that climate change is not the most important thing to us. It is more important for us to be consistent in our lifestyle than on environmental issues”; explains Mikael Klintman.

For example, those families who have chosen a life living in the countryside and commuting need two cars – it’s just part of the lifestyle. And those who consider themselves to be “people who travel to exotic places” continue to travel as before, although possibly with a slightly guilty conscience.

Attempts to influence people so that they voluntarily act in a more environmentally friendly manner have mainly taken two forms: financial incentives (taxes or subsidies) and information.

However, both have their limitations. Financial decisions can be torn up when there is a change of government and they do not affect those who can afford to continue with a wasteful lifestyle, while we hardly need any more public information.

A third method, which has not been tried to a great extent, is to make use of social motives.

“People are herd animals, so we have strong social motives. After the basic needs for warmth, food and shelter come social needs”, says Mikael Klintman.

Social needs are about our sense of belonging to a group. We want to be in a good position, either so that we don’t stand out or so that we acquire high status. Teenagers want the same designer jeans as their classmates, business leaders want an equal or higher bonus than their counterparts, home owners want a new kitchen as soon as the neighbours get one, and so on and so forth.

This mechanism could be used in various energy saving projects and competitions, believes Mikael Klintman:

“Workplaces, schools and associations could compete to be the most climate friendly in different regards – this creates peer pressure that encourages action. Electricity meters could be designed so that each customer is told how much electricity they use compared with the group as a whole – this could encourage heavy consumers to be more economical. There could be demonstration installations of new energy-efficient boilers, cookers or washing machines in residential areas, which might catch on when the neighbours want appliances that are just as nice…”

It does not really matter that the changes would be based on vanity or peer pressure, in the researchers’ view. The main thing is that they produce results. Getting more people into the group of “those who take action for the climate for other reasons” could be easier than making more people wholehearted environmental activists.

“Many people have already started cycling for their health. Others would rather eat trendy, well prepared vegetarian food than a rare steak. Yet others save money by being climate friendly”, says Mikael Klintman.

He observed the latter in a composting project in a residential district, where the most eager participants were those who were motivated by a desire for lower refuse collection fees. However, the savings did not have to be large – small, symbolic sums were often enough of an incentive.

From his research on wind power, Mikael Klintman knows that a sense of involvement is also a decisive factor. The most successful wind power projects are those that are either started as cooperatives at grassroots level or that involve those living in the area at an early stage.

“No-one wants to be a victim of decisions that have been taken over their heads. Involvement is the be-all and end-all – often more important than physical aspects such as the size and position of the wind turbines”, he says. This and other conclusions will be included in his report to the LETS programme in two years’ time.

About LETS

The LETS 2050 programme is funded by the Swedish National Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration and Vinnova. Its full name is “Governing Transitions towards Low-Carbon Energy and Transport Systems for 2050”.

The basic premise of LETS is that it is both technically and financially possible for Sweden to convert to a low-carbon society. It is just a matter of finding a way to get there – establishing functioning political governance, gaining acceptance from the public and managing conflicts between different stakeholders.

Director of the LETS programme is Lars J. Nilsson from Environmental and Energy Systems Studies at LTH, and assistant director is Annica Kronsell from Political Science. Many different departments at LU are taking part, as are departments at Luleå University of Technology and consultancy firm Trivector.

- Ingela Björck

Cartoon caption:

Hi Lasse! Look at you, sorting your rubbish so well!

Yes, it’s important to take care of the environment!

I’m off to the gym to pump some iron.

Good for you! I ought to come along really. We’re flying to Thailand next week and I want to look good on the beach!