Moral Intensity And Climate-Friendly Food Choices

There is an increasing awareness about the climate impacts of our food choices. This study looked at the role that a recognition of the moral intensity of climate change plays in an individual’s willingness to adopt a climate-friendly diet. The results showed that the perceived moral intensity of climate change increased the perception of an Earth-friendly diet as a moral imperative as well as increased intentions to make such food choices. The authors outline four ways in which their results can be used to promote a climate-friendly diet.

“By changing individual food consumption patterns, it might be possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate change. The aim of the current study was to examine how perceptions of the moral intensity of climate change are related to climate friendly-food choices. The participants were 350 Finnish university students in the social and behavioral sciences who completed a questionnaire during class. The results indicated that moral perceptions mainly affected the moral evaluation and intentions to make climate-friendly food choices. We suggest that the results can be used to promote climate-friendly food choices, for example, by increasing the recognition of climate change as a moral imperative and by combining environmental motives with other relevant food choice motives.”