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Conceptualisation and Operationalisation – A Social Geography of Climate Change: Social-Cultural Mentalities, Lifestyle, and Related GHG Emission Effects in Indian Cities

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Drivers of Climate Change in Urban India

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Abstract

In Chap. 2, the most relevant theoretical considerations and conceptual developments in the field of personal-level GHG accounting, general lifestyle research, and environment-related lifestyle research have been presented. Based on these theoretical considerations and implications, a completely new and explorative concept for the analysis of social-culturally based differentials of personal-level GHG emissions is laid out in this following chapter. The building blocks and main components of this concept are depicted in Fig. 4.1. The structure and line of argument in this chapter will follow the main components of the given figure.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In combination with other items, the explanatory value of many of the PVQ items in PCA was quite weak compared to other items (see below). With communality values often below 0.4, the proportion of the item’s variance explained by quite some of the explorative factor models was relatively low. In consequence, many of the PVQ items were left out from the final analysis.

  2. 2.

    Annex provides an overview of all surveyed items, sources, assumed target value, and reasons for or against inclusion into the analysis.

  3. 3.

    Apart from the dimensions outlined in this chapter, four additional items have been included in the survey based on the Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ). Two items were selected covering the dimension of “security”, which range closely with the dimension of tradition. Another two items addressing “self-direction” fall in the dimension of “openness to change” and neighbours with stimulation and hedonism according to Schwartz et al. (2001, p. 521f).

  4. 4.

    The author has also included other questionnaire items, some of which have not been mentioned here. All those variables were included, which have proved to have a significant differential effect from being member of the value orientation clusters. The results of these variables in regard to effects on cluster membership have been depicted in Annex VII.

  5. 5.

    Because of the language barriers, the research, selection, and translation of articles were conducted by our partner Centre for Media Studies (CMS). I would like to thank CMS for their support.

  6. 6.

    In some cases it was not feasible, e.g. when the respondent was not willing to invite the interviewer to his home and the interview took place in the office or in a café.

  7. 7.

    Only selected indicators have been surveyed as counted items.

  8. 8.

    In most cases, the variable number of rooms is included as metric variable together with dichotomous variables.

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  1. Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, Germany

    Lutz Meyer-Ohlendorf

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Meyer-Ohlendorf, L. (2019). Conceptualisation and Operationalisation – A Social Geography of Climate Change: Social-Cultural Mentalities, Lifestyle, and Related GHG Emission Effects in Indian Cities. In: Drivers of Climate Change in Urban India. Springer Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96670-0_4

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