Message from B1: Foster intrinsic values among

(electricity) consumers

Torgeir Ericson & Hege WestskogCICERO, Norway

9-10 June 2011, Tampere

“The action taken over the next decade or two, will determine whether the relatively stable environmental conditions on which human civilization has depended for the past 10,000 years will continue beyond this century. ““If we fail to use this opportunity, many ecosystems on the planet will move into new, unprecedented states in which the capacity to provide for the needs of present and future generations is highly uncertain”

“60 percent of the ecosystems are degraded or used unsustainable”

“Human actions are depleting Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”

Average energy use per household decreases

But only very little….

Energy efficiency improves

But, overall energy use increases

years with campaigning and efforts in Norway suggest substantial change in (electricity)

consumption is difficult to achieve

and the money saved from the small amounts of savings found, are probably spent on something else,

probably with other environmental impacts

A paradoxical situation

• Further (electricity) consumption reductions are almost impossible to achieve without complete renewal of the stock of dwellings,

• But, this conclusion is unacceptable given the messages in MA, GBO, or IPCC

=> Electricity consumers cannot be exempted, and they too, somehow, have to be a part of the necessary changes that must be taken the next decades

We suggest

• Partial measures are not sufficient• Significant reductions need systemic large-scale changes

that pull more coherently in the necessary direction.• Must happen broadly in all parts of society

simultaneously • This changes the perspective from a narrow focus on

consumption modification behavior directed at the individual level, to consider a larger picture where transition to the future sustainable society takes place extensively

With respect to the electricity sector

• Instead of asking how we can reduce electricity consumption…

• we ask: how should we approach electricity consumers so that the larger systemic changes can emerge.

But, which larger systemic changes do we want to emerge?

How does the desired future look like?

Learning from the future, using scenarios• We have several constraints, e.g.

– Below 2 degrees– Reduce ecosystem exploitation

• which driving factors may lead society within these constraints?

• IPCC scenarios can provide some kind of indication

• In a normative way, we assess that the IPCC storyline B1 describe a desired future

B1 scenario• Below the 2 C target• High level of environmental and social consciousness brought about by clear evidence that impacts of natural resources

pose a serious threat to the continuation of human life on Earth.

• Sustainable development• Whereas the A1 world invests its gains from increased productivity in further economic growth, the B1 world invests in improved

efficiency of resource use ("dematerialization"), equity, social institutions, and environmental protection

• Income is spent on services rather than material goods, and on quality rather than quantity, because the emphasis on material goods is less

• A reaction to early decades of crime and chaos, in which community values triumph over individualist ones and lead

to resource-friendly lifestyles based on clean and light technologies

• Voluntary embrace of cohesion, cooperation, and reduced consumption• Education to develop human potential• Massive income redistribution and high taxation levels may adversely affect the economic efficiency and functioning of world markets. • Global income per capita: one-third lower than in A1

• Increases in resource efficiency, maximizing reuse and recycling. • High levels of material and energy saving

• Reductions in pollution• Major push toward post-fossil technologies

• Environmental quality is high, as potentially negative environmental aspects are anticipated and effectively dealt with

• Transboundary air pollution (acid rain) is basically eliminated in the long term• Low-input, low-impact agriculture,

• Maintenance of large areas of wilderness • Much lower levels of meat consumption than those in A1

Message from B1: Foster intrinsic values among (electricity) consumers

• Need to know how the values are expressed with respect to electricity consumption to communicate efficiently

• Qualitative material reveals 3 main value systems in Norway– Marketist– National commonist– World commonist

Qualitative material - background

• Focus groups: – Where– How many– Purpose– Subjects

• In depth interviews:

- the experiment- 9 customers- purpose- subjects

Electricity and values - the marketist

• Tommy: ”As long as I pay for it, it is OK”.

• Lars“ Yes, if it affects the environment, you just increase the price, then you would not have the ability to pay for it, and then you regulate it that way”.

• Mainstream Economic thinking• The energy Act – 1991.

Electricity and values – the national commonist

• ”Jon: But they are selling that electricity. They ”store” our electricity. I am not a communist, but when it comes to electricity, I am a bit like that. It is a national thing from my viewpoint. It is our’s. It is our rivers they have messed with. It is us that have ”built the dams”.

• The ”allemannsrett” – right to access. • Sissel: ”I become a bit irritated when I see all

those who are building cabins that are 500 m2, and then they keep the heat on everywhere. I am going to save electricity, while they …, that is what I think. I nearly think that is reprehensible. If we all are going to save, everyone has to take part.

Electricity and values – the world communist

• “Frode: To the extent that we can help others to save electricity, help other people in the world, then we have an obligation to do it as human beings and as a society in the same way as we save and use other resources in a sensible way. It is a resource that can be used somewhere else instead of just wasting it. If we can do that, we can use electricity in a sensible way”.

• We recognize that the world commonist have values in line with what we find in the B1 storyline

• Thus, to develop towards the B1 world, it would help if more people held such values

How should we approach this?

• Two strands of thought with respect to how people develop worldviews– Stages

(Development psychology, e.g. Piaget, Kohlberg, Loevinger, Cook-Greuter, Kegan, Wilber)

– Latent(Behavioral economics, e.g. Kasser, Krompton, Sen, Sagoff, Westskog et al.)

• May require somewhat different approaches

Development through stages

Correlate with the three value systems found in our material

Latent

• Fields of rationality – Late comers in kindergarden– Green electricity

• Kasser– Values and life goals

(materialistic v. intrinsic)– In group – out groups– Coping with fears (denial v.

problem-solving)

One example - in groups and out groups

Our descendants will be left to deal with the effects of climate change caused by our profligate use of fossil fuels. Drivers of 4×4s should start editing their photo albums now … The aggressive look of a big 4×4 means other people on the road may make assumptions about the person behind the wheel. In an ordinary car, you won't get dirty looks from all and sundry when you drive around town, won't have to avoid eye contact with bus passengers, and cyclists won't mouth obscenities as they squeeze past you in a queue of traffic.23

•Unhelpful - increasing emissions? •Threathning identity of SUV-drivers: deny?•Non-SUV drivers – vilifing SUV-drivers.

Different thoughts/strategies

• How do we change values?– Nudging vs – Transformation

• Common strategies– Focus on intrinsic values– Communication (in a broad sense)

Policy implications for changing values - electricity

• Electricity as a right/obligation - not market good.

• One example two price – tariff – electricity

• Displays on environmental effects rather than $?

Conclusions

• Need world commonist values• Different views on electricity are attached to

different value systems• Different strategies for changing values