Thread by @steviedubyu

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox I mean that giving up flying is seen as a difficult thing to do, and so is impressive. People say 'Wow, really? You don't fly AT ALL?' It seems to have a strong messaging effect that says, 'climate change must be serious if you've given up flying'.

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox Of course people react to not-flyers in different, potentially conflicting ways. In my survey I asked people to choose from the words: Surprise, Respect, Smug, Integrity, Unrealistic, Impressive, Eccentric, Pointless, Interesting. Here's what they chose... (Respect comes top)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox The individual vs the collective: "The results of this research challenge the distinctions often made between individual and collective action to tackle climate change, and the related arguments that acting individually is pointless. Individual decisions to give up flying...(1/n)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox "...shown to have a considerable effect on the reported attitudes and behaviour of others. This supports the argument made by Hourdequin (2010) and others that collective behaviours emerge in a variety of ways and one should not wait for collective agreement before... (2/n)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox "... taking action oneself. A contrasting, though supportive, view is that individualism can promote pro-environmental behaviour, creating a ‘race-for-the-top’ that demonstrates how life can be lived in a positive, low-carbon
way (Chepaitis and Panagakis, 2010). These... (3/n)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox "... two positions are both supported by the interviews carried out for this research, which revealed leaders making an individual choice to not fly, while fully aware of their place within the collective, and their potential influence on it. Whatever the outlook... (4/n)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox "... of the individuals in question, this research indicates that leading by example by giving up flying can send a powerful and effective message. If combined with
structural changes in transport provision and different policy signals from government, this message... (5/n)

@tomes_tanguy @KevinClimate @StuartBCapstick @kcoplan @coralsncaves @drvox "... could contribute to a shift away from unlimited flying as a social norm, as part of a collective effort to reduce carbon emissions." (6/6) 🤓