Abstract
Climate change is largely caused by human activities and has negative effects on the world such as temperature rise, sea level rise and warming oceans, easier spread of disease, increased species loss, more intense natural phenomena, food scarcity, forced migration and increased poverty. This can leave an emotional impact on people – people start experiencing climate change-related emotions or eco-emotions. These emotions can affect each other and people’s environmental behaviour. In this study, where the respondents were students in Lithuania, the t-test results revealed that the levels of all reported emotions are higher in women and that women carry out both individual and collective environmental actions more often than men do. There were no statistically significant differences in levels of anxiety, guilt and sadness between age groups (17–24 years old, 25–34 years old, and 35 years old and over). The level of anger differed among age groups. Correlation analysis revealed that all ecoemotions were correlated. Linear regression analysis showed that individual behaviour is driven by anxiety and sadness. Collective behaviour is driven by anxiety and the totality of emotions about climate change. T-test results also revealed that Lithuanian students tend to engage in individual environmental behaviour more often than collective. Furthermore, the levels of emotions about consequences for nature are higher than the levels of emotions about consequences for humans.
Skeirytė, A.; Liobikienė, G. 2025. Emotions related to climate change, and their impact on environmental behaviour. Journal of cleaner production : Elsevier. ISSN 0959-6526. eISSN 0959-6526. 488, 144659, p. 1–10. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.144659. [Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science)].