When intentions do not matter: Climate change mitigation and adaptation innovations in the Forest-based sector

Abstract

Climate change mitigation and adaptation innovations in the forest-based sector can potentially have important environmental benefits but it is not clear what drives such innovations. In this paper we present the results of a 2021 survey on a sample of 293 Austrian and Slovenian enterprises in the sector using the theory of planned behaviour. Consistent with previous studies that applied this theory to forest management and other environmental topics, we have confirmed that attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control significantly affect intentions to act. However, it was not possible to confirm an association between intentions and actual behaviour. To explain the intention-behaviour gap, we explored two factors: First, the respondent's perception of climate change as an opportunity for the forest-based sector to mitigate climate change or as a threat to operations and a need to do adaptation. Second, the belief that environmental problems are a bigger threat in more geographically distant locations (spatial bias). Whereas data on mitigation innovations were insufficient, for adaptation innovations our data indicate that the more strongly climate change is perceived as a threat or an opportunity, the more likely a company is to adapt. Results have implications both for innovation policies addressing the forest-based sector in Europe and for future research on climate change adaptation and mitigation behaviour.