Residents’ Cognition and Behavior Related to Eco-Environmental Risks from the Development of Large Coal Power Plants: A Case Study in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia
Open Access
- 13 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 13 (14), 7813
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147813
Abstract
The development of large coal power plants is often accompanied by environmental pollution, thereby influencing the lives of the surrounding residents, resulting in a “not-in-my-backyard” effect and associated social injustice. To mitigate these influences, we conducted field research and questionnaire surveys with individuals living in areas around the Xilinhot coal power plant to explore their cognitive and behavioral psychological changes in response to the environmental risks of the coal power plant and the factors influencing such changes. A “cognition-perception-behavior” model was constructed for residents coping with the ecological environment influenced by the development of the coal power plant. Cognition of eco-environmental risks had a significant effect on the perception of eco-environmental risks which, in turn, significantly promoted the adoption of adaptive behaviors. Residents had a strong cognition and perception of eco-environmental risks but an extremely low likelihood of adopting relevant adaptive behaviors. Thus, affective responses can increase the residents’ cognition and perception of eco-environmental risks, and the communication of risk information can help them evaluate eco-environmental risks rationally.Funding Information
- National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFC0501108, 2019QN09, 22110105006001)
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2020SKHH01)
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Coordinating urban construction and district-level population density for balanced development: An explorative structural equation modeling analysis on ShanghaiJournal of Cleaner Production, 2021
- Evaluating passenger satisfaction index based on PLS-SEM model: Evidence from Chinese public transport serviceTransportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2019
- Farmers' perceptions and adaptation behaviours concerning land degradation: A theoretical framework and a case‐study in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau of ChinaLand Degradation & Development, 2018
- What’s the Bandwidth for Democracy? Deconstructing Internet Penetration and Citizen Attitudes About GovernancePolitical Communication, 2014
- Internet, Trust in Government, and Citizen ComplianceJournal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2012
- Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implicationsGlobal Environmental Change, 2007
- Environmental behavior structure and socio-economic conditions of hillside farmers: A multiple-group structural equation modeling approachEcological Economics, 2007
- Adaptive capacity and human cognition: The process of individual adaptation to climate changeGlobal Environmental Change, 2005
- Successful adaptation to climate change across scalesGlobal Environmental Change, 2005