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After the storm: Environmental tragedy and sustainable mobility

Author

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  • Caferra, Rocco
  • Morone, Andrea
  • Morone, Piergiuseppe

Abstract

Due to mounting environmental challenges, communities are increasingly prioritising resilience and sustainability. Environmental disasters can be seen as windows of opportunity for collective action, influencing pro-environmental attitudes and engagement. While personal experiences of catastrophe can increase environmental awareness, they can also affect social capital, impacting relationships with peers and institutions. Within this context, a post-disaster community might be encouraged to put more efforts in the local urban sustainable transformation to reduce the impact of climate-change related event. To this end, individuals' daily micro-mobility choices may offer insight into community engagement with sustainability initiatives, given the link between modes of transportation and long-term urban pollution. Through a survey of Italian citizens, we explored how disaster experiences shaped attitudes towards sustainable modes of mobility, as well as changes in individual and social factors. The analysis employed a structural equation model based on an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour. The results revealed that disaster experiences tended to heighten awareness of climate change risk while also reducing social interaction, thereby affecting pro-environmental behaviour. Trust in local government was not permanently affected, highlighting the difficulty in identifying the direct impacts of environmental disaster experiences on pro-environmental actions. Sustainable consumption choices and pro-environmental attitudes may be influenced by social and psychological factors, including personal experiences, personal well-being and civic engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Caferra, Rocco & Morone, Andrea & Morone, Piergiuseppe, 2025. "After the storm: Environmental tragedy and sustainable mobility," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:227:y:2025:i:c:s0921800924003069
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108409
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Behavioural economics; Natural disaster; Environmental economics; Sustainable consumption; Sustainable mobility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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