Turning a Blind Eye to Climate Change: Moral Disengagement and Negative Climate Emotions as Drivers of the Green Gap

ABSTRACT The primary aim of the current study was to investigate whether moral disengagement and associated negative emotions (guilt, shame and anxiety) could explain the green gap, that is, the disparity between environmental values or climate concern and pro‐environmental behaviour. The secondary aim was to test an awareness‐empowerment and a social norm intervention as two ways to enhance pro‐environmental behaviour by reducing moral disengagement. First, in a large cross‐sectional Study 1 ( N = 1233), we investigated moral disengagement and negative climate emotions as serial mediators of the relationship between environmental values, as well as climate concern, and pro‐environmental behaviour. Then, in a two‐wave longitudinal Study 2 ( N = 1308), we attempted to reduce moral disengagement using either an awareness‐empowerment or a social norms intervention. The results of the two studies showed that both environmental values and climate concern predicted pro‐environmental behaviour and this was partially mediated by lower moral disengagement and higher experienced negative emotions. Also, we found awareness‐empowerment, but not social norms, intervention to be effective in reducing moral disengagement and, indirectly, motivating pro‐environmental behaviour. The study provides persuasive evidence that moral disengagement contributes to the green gap and that interventions aimed at its reduction constitute an effective way of motivating pro‐environmental behaviour. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's .