Climate Emotions and Pro-Environmental Behavior

Abstract: To mitigate climate change, it is essential to understand the individual predictors of pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Theory and research suggest that experiencing emotions related to climate change may drive engagement in PEB. However, previous research has considered only relatively few climate emotions, overlooking the potentially important role of a broader range of climate emotions as well as their unique contributions. Additionally, previous research largely relied on cross-sectional designs, limiting insights into potential within-person relations. Building on theorizing on climate emotions and PEB, we explore relations between a comprehensive set of 11 climate emotions and four dimensions of PEB (i.e., conservation PEB, citizenship PEB, reduced meat consumption, and sustainable transportation behavior). We further address exploratory research questions regarding differences in relations depending on the dimension of PEB and unique between- and within-person relations. We collected data from N = 1,313 employed adults in Germany across five measurement waves with 3-month time lags. Results of mixed-effects models revealed that, at the between-person level, negative climate emotions (i.e., fear, guilt, and sadness) were positively and moderately related to different dimensions of PEB. Regarding positive climate emotions, attentiveness was positively and moderately related to PEB, whereas the other positive climate emotions yielded mixed effects, depending on the specific dimension of PEB. At the within-person level, climate change–related fear was positively, albeit weakly, related to PEB, whereas climate change–related joviality was negatively and weakly related to PEB.