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![Three Spheres of Transformation, adopted from O'Brien and Sygna [9]. According to this framework, societal sustainability transformations in response to climate change take place across three interacting practical, political and personal spheres. "Transformation of individual air travel behavior" is added by the authors. Originally, the blue wedge illustrates "outcomes for sustainability" in general.](profile/Avit-Bhowmik/publication/339726569/figure/fig1/AS:865817860243458@1583438472788/Three-Spheres-of-Transformation-adopted-from-OBrien-and-Sygna-9-According-to-this.jpg)
Three Spheres of Transformation, adopted from O'Brien and Sygna [9]. According to this framework, societal sustainability transformations in response to climate change take place across three interacting practical, political and personal spheres. "Transformation of individual air travel behavior" is added by the authors. Originally, the blue wedge illustrates "outcomes for sustainability" in general.
Source publication
Air travel accounts for a major share of individual greenhouse gas emissions, particularly for people in high-income countries. Until recently, few have reduced flying because of climate concerns, but currently, a movement for staying on the ground is rising. Sweden has been a focal point for this movement, particularly during 2018-2019, when a fli...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... Three Spheres of Transformation framework [9,62], developed by Karen O'Brien and Linda Sygna, integrates different branches of research on transformations, highlighting the need for a comprehensive view on personal, institutional, societal and technological transformations as a response to climate change. O'Brien and Sygna argue that the most powerful transformations take place across three embedded and interacting spheres (Figure 1). ...
Context 2
... Three Spheres of Transformation framework [9,62], developed by Karen O'Brien and Linda Sygna, integrates different branches of research on transformations, highlighting the need for a comprehensive view on personal, institutional, societal and technological transformations as a response to climate change. O'Brien and Sygna argue that the most powerful transformations take place across three embedded and interacting spheres (Figure 1). ...
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Citations
... (2020), some of the drivers that lead to flights reduction are climate concerns, moral obligations and responsibility sense; but not only. • Jacobson et al (2020) also highlights the importance of infrastructural and political transformations. ...
Behavioural change is considered one of the demand-side strategies for achieving sustainable development pathways. People change their behaviour by altering the way they consume or live, causing a reduction in the use of resources or waste generation. Citizens are commonly encouraged to avoid, shift, or improve their behaviour to benefit climate adaptation or mitigation. Yet, a holistic understanding of behavioural change as well as of its interactions with ecological, economic, political, and social systems is still lacking. Moreover, research on behavioural change is often focused on consumption and individual responsibility, instead of contributing to a collective degrowth strategy, including all responsible actors. Here, we develop a new modelling framework that consists of integrating behavioural change in an Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) called WILIAM (‘WIthin Limits’ IAM). WILIAM is a complex multi-sectoral and multi-regional model based on system dynamics which represents a wide variety of economy, society and environment interactions and feedback loops. Through this work, the model is qualitatively informed by a literature review on degrowth behavioural change measures and the collective and individual drivers and barriers to their adoption. Afterwards, these relationships are translated into mathematical equations and indicators that are included in the model. This modelling framework provides findings on both intentions and impacts of transformative behavioural change: we focus on systemic enablers and constraints behind behavioural change towards degrowth and also evaluate the consequences in terms of environmental and social impacts. Thus, our work represents a further contribution to the systematic planning and evaluation of degrowth as a political project.
... Transport is one of the three areas in focus in the current national debate in Sweden. There is a political aim of reducing emissions from transport in 2030 with 70% compared to the levels of 2010, the first report from the Climate Policy Council, tasked with overseeing the policy efforts of the government, focused on transports, and there has been an extensive public discussion in Sweden on private flying since January 2018 (Jacobson et al., 2020;Wolrath Söderberg & Wormbs, 2019;Wormbs & Wolrath Söderberg, 2021). Flying to and from Swedish airports has indeed dropped with about 35% compared to 2017 levels, i.e. before the flight debate started. ...
It is important to understand how individuals in affluent societies reason around their own actions in relation to climate change. However, much of the research has focused on sceptics and those who have little interest in change. Studying those who want to contribute to a transition and why they fail is also of interest. This study is qualitative and deals with the internal reasoning of a self-selected sample of Swedes with sustainable values who argue in relation to a failed intention. Ca 400 responses were analysed. We used topos theory to identify thinking structures that guide the arguments used to deal with the cognitive dissonance that acting against knowledge and intention results in. The most common ways to argue were to imagine a climate account with possible deposits and withdrawals, or a budget which you strive to keep. Also common was to compare with something or someone that was ”worse”. Redirecting responsibility was also an argument, albeit complicating the issue of responsibility. The limits of reality were used as an excuse for action, whereas articulating the goal conflicts of a less emitting life made choices visible. Finally, the human condition of not always meeting your own standards was mentioned. These arguments only partly overlap common discourses of delay in the public sphere.
... Many international passenger services and night trains have closed since 2010 due to a lack of demand and competition from low-cost airlines. However, the recent 'flyg skam' ('flight shame') campaign that started in Sweden in 2017, not only aims to reduce flying but also promote long-distance railways as an alternative (Jacobson et al. 2020). This social movement has now spread to other European countries, increasing pressure on national governments and railway companies to expand international night trains, international daytime services and offer online ticketing for these routes, comparable to airline systems. ...
Through detailed and wide-ranging analysis, the Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics provides a critical assessment of current and emerging challenges facing the EU in committing to and delivering increasingly ambitious climate policy objectives. Highlighting the importance of topics such as finance and investment, litigation, ‘hard to abate’ sectors and negative emissions, it offers an up-to-date exploration of the complexities of climate politics and policy making.
... Many international passenger services and night trains have closed since 2010 due to a lack of demand and competition from low-cost airlines. However, the recent 'flyg skam' ('flight shame') campaign that started in Sweden in 2017, not only aims to reduce flying but also promote long-distance railways as an alternative (Jacobson et al. 2020). This social movement has now spread to other European countries, increasing pressure on national governments and railway companies to expand international night trains, international daytime services and offer online ticketing for these routes, comparable to airline systems. ...
... In the societal context, scholars frequently identify education as an enabler for lifestyle changes (Abrahamse and de Groot, 2013;Hicks and Kuhndt, 2013;Longo et al., 2017;Perkins et al., 2018;Gossen et al., 2019;Manca and Fornara, 2019;Jacobson et al., 2020;Otto et al., 2020;Balázs et al., 2021;Brand, 2021;Eker et al., 2021;Schaffartzik et al., 2021). They suggest that educating citizens on sustainability-at school, through professional training, or awareness campaigns organized by governments or civil societycan lead to individual value and behavior change. ...
Introduction
Transforming consumption and lifestyles toward sustainability cannot be achieved by individual behavior change alone but requires changes in the structures in which this behavior is embedded. However, “structure” is a blurry concept and scholars use it in a multitude of ways. What often remains implicit in studies on structural phenomena are different types of structures, how they may or may not restrict the agency of individuals in particular ways, and how these restrictions support sustainable consumption patterns at the societal level. To move beyond the current state of research, this article systematizes political, economic, technological, and societal structural factors the literature identifies as impactful regarding the sustainability of consumption and lifestyles compatible with the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Methods
We draw on a systematic review of existing research and use empirical observations to develop conceptual terms that revisit the structure-agency dilemma and offer ways going forward about (un)sustainable consumption.
Results
We do so based on the material or ideational, as well as shallow or deep nature of these factors. Thereby, the article throws light on the deep and opaque material and ideational structural factors lying underneath and shaping the sustainability impact of the more visible, shallow structural factors typically considered in public debates about sustainability governance.
Discussion
The article, thus, highlights the need to consider and address these deep structural factors for any effective pursuit of transformation.
... Concerning air travel, perspectives other than practice-theoretical approaches have been more popular in the literature. Generally, when focusing on behavioral change, research has addressed attitudes and values supporting air-travel reduction (B€ uchs 2016;Whitmarsh and O'Neill 2010); incentives and barriers to reducing flights at the individual and societal levels (Fr€ andberg 2014; Jacobson et al. 2020;; the attitude-behavior gap (Kroesen 2013); the normative framework that associates flying with necessities (G€ osling et al. 2019); and the factors that determine popular support for air-travel restrictions (Kallbekken and Saelen 2021); among other topics. Recently, several studies have drawn on social practice approaches to study air travel and its low-carbon alternatives such as train travel, videoconferences, or simply less travel overall (Luzecka 2016;Randles and Mander 2009;Sahakian et al. 2021). ...
... In general, the literature on flying less finds that infrastructuressuch as airports, roads, and train and bus stationsand the technologies that facilitate remote working and virtual exchangesare important elements of practice shaping the decision to fly (Jacobson et al. 2020;Sahakian et al. 2021). Characteristics of trains and buses relating to workspace, cleanliness, and comfort might also be considered infrastructural elements that increase the likelihood of flying less (Sahakian et al. 2021). ...
... Regarding values and norms, extant studies find that strengthening pro-environmental or intrinsic values and implementing regulations forcing businesses to count travel time as working time, for example, have the potential to dissociate everyday practices from air travel (B€ uchs 2016;Sahakian et al. 2021). Reversing the relatively low price of air travel compared to its putatively more sustainable counterparts by either subsidizing train journeys or by applying higher carbon taxes or levies to frequent fliers could provide the necessary economic resources to support low-carbon travel in the future (Jacobson et al. 2020;Sahakian et al. 2021;Hopkinson and Cairns 2020). It, however, merits noting that not all studies find that cultural resources such as proenvironmental information and sustainability education influence the decision to fly (e.g., Kroesen 2013). ...
This article uses a mixed-methods design to study flight-intensive practices in Norway. It explores how practices changed as a consequence of the travel restrictions implemented to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for people’s well-being. Norway is one of the European countries where people take the most flights per capita and the expectation is for air traffic to increase by approximately 4% annually from pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding the industry’s goal of becoming fossil-free by 2050, the rapid reduction of emissions to keep global warming at 1.5°C below pre-industrial levels is unlikely to happen without restrictions in air travel. The article draws on social practice and well-being perspectives to investigate the possibility of flying less in post-pandemic times. Using survey data and regression analysis, the study analyzes the infrastructures, norms, values, resources, and competencies associated with reductions in pre-pandemic air travel. Engaging in walking and cycling and taking collective transport for short-distance travel were found to correlate with flying less for long distances. In-depth interviews with domestic travelers suggest that flying less for work might be a synergic satisfier as it contributes to more than one human need without hampering any others. This has implications for the well-being of people who engage in flight-intensive practices for work as it will likely be enhanced if work-related travel is significantly reduced when the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
... Social norms are, in turn, an important predictor of feelings of flight shame, actual flight activity, and opinions about policy and legislation aimed at restricting air traffic (Doran et al., 2021;G€ ossling et al., 2020;S€ oderberg & Wormbs, 2019). Flight shame is also associated with personal norms: people who feel a personal moral obligation to contribute to climate change mitigation are more likely than others to experience feelings of flight shame (Doran et al., 2021) and to choose to stay on the ground (B€ uchs, 2017;Jacobson et al., 2020;. ...
This article examines the rhetorical use, function, and public value of appeals to shame and guilt in the climate change debate. It does so through rhetorical criticism of opinion articles discussing flight shame published in Norwegian newspapers 2019–2020. The opinion articles partake in a rhetorical exchange in which the legitimacy of air travel, responsibility for mitigation efforts, and acceptability of appeals to shame and guilt are negotiated. This article examines how this negotiation happens rhetorically through argumentation and appeals to certain values and discusses how appeals to flight shame facilitate deliberation on climate change mitigation. The analysis finds that appeals to flight shame are often interpreted as attacks on “ordinary” people living in rural areas and responded to with accusations of elitist behaviour and moralising, and arguments that reframe flying as an acceptable social practice. Thus, the rhetorical use of shame can increase polarization and obstruct much-needed cooperation in tackling the challenges of climate change. However, the debate also constitutes a rhetorical examination and negotiation of issues of culpability and responsibility that invites the audience of the debate to reconsider their travel habits in relation to the issue of climate change and questions about moral responsibility and solidarity.
... Sustainable behavior means that stakeholders (airport staff, passengers, civil aviation authorities, airlines, etc.) within the airport will reflect their knowledge, attitude, and awareness of the importance of sustainability by implementing sustainable practices [25]. In general, the behavior is either individual or organizational. ...
... Sustainable behavior means that stakeholders (airport staff, passengers, civil aviation authorities, etc.) within the airport reflect their knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of the importance of sustainability by implementing sustainable practices [25]. In general, behavior is either individual or organizational. ...
... Ngo et al. (2020) [79] discussed the awareness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the leading Chinese airport during the period 2013-2017, as well as its impact on the performance of the airport.Wang et al. (2016) [25] andJacobson et al. (2020) [38] discussed the knowledge of climate change. ...
Recently, society has had a growing concern about the sustainability of airports in social, economic, and environmental terms and a perception that stakeholders have not adequately addressed this concern. The importance of sustainability awareness, especially in the airport sector, has recently increased as its operations increase greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption and cause other environmental issues. Hence, applying sustainable airport practices can allow airports to improve their economic and social effects and reduce their harmful environmental impact. In response to the growing concern regarding the quality of sustainability practices, this paper aims to allow researchers to investigate airport sustainability awareness (ASA) by studying the relationship between airport sustainability knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of airport sustainability practices and illustrating the gap in the literature on the related topics through a systematic review. Additionally, the study provides a bibliometric method to examine the keywords’ relation. The results focus on developing a theoretical framework to investigate ASA and reveal the need to investigate the relationship between knowledge and attitude to improve sustainable behavior for achieving sustainable development goals. This contributes to the literature gap regarding ASA. The research limitations are open issues for future researchers to promote sustainability awareness.
... Impact on climate change was ranked low in both countries, even lower in Sweden. As Jacobson et al. [71] suggested, rational knowledge about the threat of climate change may not be powerful enough to make people reduce flying. It was also noted that Swedes are even less concerned than Finns when it came to the Negative public opinion towards air travel. ...
COVID-19 hit the global economy hard in early 2020, and airline industry was among the biggest commercial victims. Governments closed borders, the virus scared off travelers and the aircraft stayed on the ground to a large extent. The forecasted record year turned out to be the worst in the history of aviation. This study focused on the concerns of airline customers and analyzed the differences between the customer behavior in two focus markets, Finland and Sweden. The article is based on a questionnaire and the answers of 2004 airline customers. The results show that even though the overall COVID-19 strategy was very different between the focus markets, the same concerns still arose. The main concerns were related to quarantines and convenience of traveling, but health was also a major worry. The impact on climate change and public opinion were among the least concerning factors for most. The Swedes were less concerned about the quarantine upon returning, which may not be surprising due to their more liberal COVID-19 strategy at the time. Other attributes that were analyzed (gender, airline loyalty tier, age) suggest that females are categorically more concerned than males, the travel-related annoyances affect all travelers regardless of the tier and that travelers from different age groups are concerned about different aspects of traveling during a pandemic. The data gathering for this research was carried out in collaboration with Finnair, Finland’s national carrier.
... Whereas prior qualitative research found that climate concerned people tend to fly frequently, more recent qualitative studies indicate an increasing influence of climate concern and norms on leisure air travel (e.g. Jacobson et al., 2020). However, the research aiming to quantify the influence of people's climate concern and norms on their leisure travel by air is sparse and it has so far failed to find any influence, with one exception (G€ ossling et al., 2020). ...
... In all cases, these studies suggest that if a pro-environmental attitude is necessary for limiting leisure air travel among those that have the means to travel, it is not sufficient. That a pro-environmental attitude is needed is supported by two qualitative studies of UK (B€ uchs, 2017) and Swedish (Jacobson et al., 2020) residents who have made a conscious decision not to travel by air. Both studies find that these people hold strong self-transcendence values and a strong personal norm for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (B€ uchs, 2017) or negative emotions connected to flying (Jacobson et al., 2020). ...
... That a pro-environmental attitude is needed is supported by two qualitative studies of UK (B€ uchs, 2017) and Swedish (Jacobson et al., 2020) residents who have made a conscious decision not to travel by air. Both studies find that these people hold strong self-transcendence values and a strong personal norm for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (B€ uchs, 2017) or negative emotions connected to flying (Jacobson et al., 2020). ...
ABSTRACT
This paper adds to our understanding of how people’s climate change
concern and norms influence their leisure air travel. It does so by examining the roles of Norwegians’ beliefs about climate change and emissions from air travel, their felt responsibility to limit emissions (personal norm), and expectations and behaviors of friends and family (social norms) in such travel. A representative sample of Norwegians was surveyed in 2019 and 2020 (N¼ 2842), based on a framework combining institutional and social-psychological perspectives. Structural equation modeling of the data reveals that leisure air travel is habituated andpart of a lifestyle, supported by social norms, self-enhancement valuesand urban residency. Personal norms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from flying are beginning to emerge in Norway, but their effecton leisure air travel is small and only indirect. Our findings suggest theneed for interventions to complement and potentially amplify theemerging moralization process and support an evolution of new habitsand travel lifestyle to limit the emissions from leisure air travel substantially. The disruption of travel habits by the COVID-19 pandemic might ease such a process.
