Environmental Engagement and Cultural Value: Global Perspectives for Protecting the Natural World

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Background

Environmental issues are a rapidly growing focal point in today’s global discussion. These issues are becoming increasingly pertinent due to the potentially devastating outcomes of human environmental carelessness. As a species, humans now have realized the need for a worldwide environmental engagement. This engagement is intended to heighten awareness about environmental problems, build knowledge in education, and change human behaviors to improve sustainability.

Globalization and migration have resulted in a growing need to understand environmental engagement across nations and cultures. It appears that the way members of a society relate to the environment is culturally patterned, which means that environmental engagement differs from one culture to another. For example, in many industrialized societies, riding public transportation would be considered pro-environmental; however, in many developing countries, such action would be considered as a matter of daily life. Moreover, the issue of economic growth versus environmental protection has been a longstanding discussion. People may express a willingness to pay more for environmental protection in industrialized societies because people are generally financially comfortable. However, would people in poor countries express a similar willingness? Would they be concerned about environmental issues and even favor protecting the nature over economic growth?

This Research Topic will examine cultural explanations concerning environmental engagement. The Research Topic will give us the opportunity to gather emerging research and to boost empirical studies focusing on environmental engagement in a global perspective, which have mainly been conducted in North America and Europe. First, we welcome papers that examine and critically interrogate environmental engagement and cultural value dimensions (e.g., individualism/collectivism, hierarchy, egalitarianism, etc.). Studies based on multiple countries are specifically encouraged. Second, we welcome papers investigate cultural differences/similarities at the individual level (e.g., prosocial vs. self-interest values), country-level (e.g., urban vs. rural societies) as well as studies employing multilevel strategies to examine the effect of both individual-level and country-level variables in explaining environmental engagement. Third, we welcome papers that examine viewpoints of indigenous cultures (aboriginal people) and multiculturalism (immigrants) in order to understand cultural influences such as colonial processes of territorial acquisition, indigenous knowledge, and intercultural relation on environmental engagement. Last but not least, we welcome papers that emphasize both internal processes and contextual factors that advocate interventions such as education, persuasion, media, and technology. In addition to original research articles, we welcome reviews, methods paper, evaluations, case studies, and community-based action research.

Keywords: Environmental Behavior, Culture/Cross-Culture, Development, Education, Ecology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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