Speaker
Description
This study aimed to examine the influence of ecological crisis experience on pro-environmental behavior with the mediation of eco-anxiety of undergraduate students at Caraga State University-Main Campus who were affected by Super Typhoon Rai in December 2021. As there may be published journals tackling each variable, there is no available literature specifically addressing all variables. The data were analyzed using mediation analysis. The analysis showed that while the ecological crisis itself did not directly predict pro-environmental behavior, it did have an indirect effect through the mediation of eco-anxiety. Experiencing an ecological crisis raises awareness of consequences (AC), as per the Norm Activation Model. Yet, this alone cannot ensure pro-environmental behaviors, individuals need ascription of responsibility (AR), and personal norms (PN). Additionally, eco-anxiety mediates the link between ecological crisis experience and pro-environmental behavior, influencing personal norms and responsibility in individuals. The typhoon experienced by the respondents raised their knowledge of environmental effects, but to spur them into pro-environmental behavior needs the trigger of eco-anxiety. In conclusion, this study shows a full mediation as there was no influence from the ecological crisis experience towards the pro-environmental behavior at first until it was mediated by eco-anxiety. Researchers recommend college students, college administrators, college counselors, and communities to actively participate and seek information that raises awareness in tackling the impact and mitigation of the ecological crisis as well as understanding the importance of eco-anxiety and other emotions and how these affect their behaviors. Furthermore, future researchers may utilize quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews and also conduct longitudinal studies on the interplay between eco-emotions and pro-environmental behaviors. Including diverse demographics in the participant pool and comparing different regions and cultures to help understand the universal trends and regional influences on environmental behaviors.
Keywords: Ecological crisis experience, eco-anxiety, pro-environmental behaviors, Typhoon Rai
