Energy-saving Behavior and Households’ Practices in Prevention of Climate Change

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Abstract

The relevance of the problem of energy-saving behavior and the negative contribution of households to climate change is dictated by the need to reduce the burden on the environment. Based on a meta-analysis of scientific publications, an overview of modern behavioral approaches in this area is provided. Results of a survey of experts in the energy sector are presented. The conclusion is that the energy saving strategy is being implemented due to savings, with increasing dynamics of involvement, and the main barriers in this case are the technical limitations of households and economic investments in energy-efficient equipment. Waste management in households is associated with increased demands of citizens for comfortable infrastructure and the reluctance to create additional time costs. The same can be said about the use of personal transport, here the impediments are the desire to maintain mobility and save time. Key energy-saving strategies include reducing resource use, avoiding unsustainable practices and increasing environmental awareness. Institutional barriers to energy-saving behavior are identified: household infrastructure, which does not allow energy efficiency, lack of environmental culture and insufficient interaction between the authorities and the population. Knowledge about environmental problems and understanding the contribution of anthropogenic influence on climate change do not always guarantee the implementation of pro-environmental energy-saving practices. In-depth work to raise knowledge of environmental problems, introduce incentives, spread values and strengthen motivation is necessary.

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About the authors

Yulia V. Ermolaeva

Institute of Sociology of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: mistelfrayard@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7421-2044

Research Fellow, Department for Theoretical Research of Social Transformations

Russian Federation, Moscow

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