Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour

Many environmental problems are caused by human behaviour and can be altered when people would more consistently engage in pro-environmental behaviour. Current approaches to encourage pro-environmental behaviour typically target extrinsic motivation, by offering incentives to change personal costs and benefits of behaviour. Such incentives run the risk of undermining intrinsic motivation to act pro-environmentally. This is problematic, as intrinsic motivation is a solid source of consistent pro-environmental behaviour. Intrinsically motivated people behave without being coerced or incentivised, even when pro-environmental behaviour is somewhat costly, as doing so is meaningful and makes them feel good. I will discuss which factors and strategies can foster and secure intrinsic motivation to engage in pro-environmental behaviour.