From attitudes to envirommental behaviours

Abstract

Climate change, erosion of biodiversity, depletion of natural resources, pollution of the living environments, etc. these environmental challenges are in first place human challenges. By his choices of development, from the end of the XVIIIth century, without awareness of the risks and limits inherent in such a development extension, man will disrupt in a very significant and a profound manner the ecology of the planet, jeopardizing the survival of the Human being. If our societies are at the origin of these global changes and challenges, they must also be able to be the providers and bearers of solutions. So, Individuals are invited to question their lifestyles and adhere to more environment friendly behaviors. The notion of human-environment interaction then takes on its full meaning. Widely publicized, the environmental issue is at the top of the concerns of populations who confirm high levels of pro-environmental attitude. However, a gap is observed between the action and the implementation of right environmental practices. How to explain this hole between domestic practices that remain desperately modest and desires for ecology? The purpose of this paper is to understand the explanatory factors of the asymmetry between attitude and ecological behaviors through a wide range of literature in environmental research. If human and social sciences stimulate tools for intervention on behavior, and indicate the complexity of individuals’ behavior determinants, each will initiate useful results to identify levers of action and promote the evolution of behaviors. A good example of this contradiction is the Lebanese context. We question facts that take shape in Lebanese society, in order to provide essential material and insights into the environmental dynamics of the Lebanese.