Evaluating the effectiveness of pro-environmental behaviour change interventions: a review of reviews

The world we live in today is facing an abundance of environmental issues, of which many have origins rooted deep in the behaviours of humans. Many interventions have been crafted with the aim to encourage more pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) of individuals. In this chapter we present a review of reviews published between 2005 and 2021 to evaluate what we currently know with respect to "what works" to encourage PEB. In total 35 papers were included in the review. We explore the evidence for five behaviour categories: energy, waste, water, travel and food, and distinguish nine intervention types. The general conclusion is the quality of evidence is varied. Evidence of effective PEB change is most abundant for waste reduction and energy conservation, and for interventions including feedback and social comparisons. The strongest evidence suggests that the impact of well-designed interventions on pro-environmental behaviour change is modest. Combining interventions that address people's motivation, opportunities and abilities will be most effective.