The Impact of Values on Sustainability Actions Among Coastal Populations

The people of Southwest Florida are particularly vulnerable to the environmental impacts of climate change such as, coastal flooding, extreme weather events, and sea level rise. This study examines the role of personal values in determining sustainable lifestyle choices made among laypersons in Lee County, Floirda.

Climate justice is an effort to protect at-risk populations who are disproportionately affected by climate change (Gutierrez & LePrevost, 2016). Southwest Florida is exceptionally vulnerable to climate change-related events, such as hurricanes and sea level rise, due to proximity to the Gulf of Mexico (Carter, et al., 2014) Consequently, people living along the Gulf coast will be affected by sea level rise and more frequent and intense weather events. Florida has recently experienced these immediate impacts with the landfall of hurricane Charley (2004), Wilma (2005) and Irma (2017). We know that individual behavior is important for mitigating the impacts of climate change, as individuals have the potential to change CO₂ emissions within the actions of their daily lives (Dietz et al., 2009; Girod & de Haan, 2009). However, Stratton (2015) indicates an increase in knowledge and awareness about sustainability practices does not necessarily lead to changes in personal actions. Pichert and Katsikopoulos (2008) use the term 'value-action gap' to describe the mismatch between individual' vales about the natural environmental and their unwillingness to adopt practices that support these values. This research study was developed to determine if the same gap existed among at-risk coastal populations in Southwest Florida. We investigated the impact and relationship between laypersons reported values of sustainability and their willingness to take part in lifestyle actions that would help mitigate the impacts of climate change. The study used a Likert-type survey to measure sustainability values exhibited among individuals in Lee County, Florida and their impact on individual actions i.e. political, economic, or social that align with those values. The data were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon rank-sign test to determine the significance and correlation between values and action. The future goals of this research project are to: (1) Better understand how the current state of individual values among laypersons in Southwest Florida impact their willingness to take mitigative actions (2) Use the information for development of future sustainability education to engage the public in mitigation efforts that will help reduce the impact of climate change on our coastal environment.