Barrier classification based on interview responses
| Category | Barrier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||
| Limited cognition | Ordinary life is unaffected | The effects of climate change on one’s daily life are not considerably sufficient for behavioral adjustment |
| Effects will emerge in the future | Climate change is viewed as affecting future generations rather than the present | |
| Effects are far away | Climate change is believed to primarily affect other countries and their populations | |
| Lack of behavioral knowledge | Uncertainty exists regarding which actions to take, overestimating or underestimating the effects of one’s behaviors, or a lack of awareness regarding certain mitigation behaviors | |
| Uncertainty regarding behavioral effects | Uncertainty exists regarding whether certain actions will exacerbate climate change or effectively reduce carbon emissions | |
| Lack of response efficacy | Engagement in mitigation behaviors for environmental improvement is considered pointless | |
| Perceived risk | Temporal risk | Mitigation behaviors require time |
| Financial risk | Financial concerns affect the feasibility of mitigation behaviors | |
| Sunk costs | Waste | Appliances or products are still new or in working condition and do not need to be replaced |
| Hedonic preference | Achievement of emotional satisfaction, such as through consuming meat or traveling abroad, is prioritized | |
| Prioritization of nonenvironmental concerns | Health and cleanliness are prioritized over environmental concerns | |
| Reluctance to change lifestyles | Unwillingness to change | Maintaining one’s current lifestyle is preferred |
| Prioritization of comfort | Quality of life and comfort are prioritized over the environment and nonhuman species | |
| Inconvenience | The convenience of behaviors is prioritized | |
| Lack of willpower | An individual lacks the willpower to engage in mitigation behaviors | |
| Social | ||
| Comparison with others | Lack of collective efficacy | Individual efforts are perceived to be futile unless the entire global population acts collectively |
| Alignment with the lifestyle of others | An individual feels social pressure to conform to the unsustainable lifestyle choices of significant others | |
| Perceived program inadequacy | Lack of political action | Governments are perceived to be responsible for formulating decarbonization policies and supervising enterprise or industrial emissions |
| Lack of enterprise and industry action | Enterprises are perceived to be responsible for reducing carbon emissions, given that commercial output far exceeds individual contributions | |
| Lack of infrastructure | Constraints imposed by existing infrastructure hinder individuals from adopting mitigation behaviors | |
| Lack of opportunity | Opportunities to engage in mitigation behaviors in everyday life, such as by purchasing products at a no packaging store, are limited | |
| Category | Barrier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Limited cognition | Ordinary life is unaffected | The effects of climate change on one’s daily life are not considerably sufficient for behavioral adjustment |
| Effects will emerge in the future | Climate change is viewed as affecting future generations rather than the present | |
| Effects are far away | Climate change is believed to primarily affect other countries and their populations | |
| Lack of behavioral knowledge | Uncertainty exists regarding which actions to take, overestimating or underestimating the effects of one’s behaviors, or a lack of awareness regarding certain mitigation behaviors | |
| Uncertainty regarding behavioral effects | Uncertainty exists regarding whether certain actions will exacerbate climate change or effectively reduce carbon emissions | |
| Lack of response efficacy | Engagement in mitigation behaviors for environmental improvement is considered pointless | |
| Perceived risk | Temporal risk | Mitigation behaviors require time |
| Financial risk | Financial concerns affect the feasibility of mitigation behaviors | |
| Sunk costs | Waste | Appliances or products are still new or in working condition and do not need to be replaced |
| Hedonic preference | Achievement of emotional satisfaction, such as through consuming meat or traveling abroad, is prioritized | |
| Prioritization of nonenvironmental concerns | Health and cleanliness are prioritized over environmental concerns | |
| Reluctance to change lifestyles | Unwillingness to change | Maintaining one’s current lifestyle is preferred |
| Prioritization of comfort | Quality of life and comfort are prioritized over the environment and nonhuman species | |
| Inconvenience | The convenience of behaviors is prioritized | |
| Lack of willpower | An individual lacks the willpower to engage in mitigation behaviors | |
| Comparison with others | Lack of collective efficacy | Individual efforts are perceived to be futile unless the entire global population acts collectively |
| Alignment with the lifestyle of others | An individual feels social pressure to conform to the unsustainable lifestyle choices of significant others | |
| Perceived program inadequacy | Lack of political action | Governments are perceived to be responsible for formulating decarbonization policies and supervising enterprise or industrial emissions |
| Lack of enterprise and industry action | Enterprises are perceived to be responsible for reducing carbon emissions, given that commercial output far exceeds individual contributions | |
| Lack of infrastructure | Constraints imposed by existing infrastructure hinder individuals from adopting mitigation behaviors | |
| Lack of opportunity | Opportunities to engage in mitigation behaviors in everyday life, such as by purchasing products at a no packaging store, are limited | |
Sharing content requires targeting cookies to be enabled. Please update your cookie preferences to use this feature.