January 1, 2026 | 12:40 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Efforts to combat climate change are often translated into everyday actions, such as reducing the use of private cars, conserving energy at home, or altering dietary habits. Many individuals have consciously and voluntarily adopted these habits as a form of their support for environmental sustainability.
However, a recent study published in the journal "Nature Sustainability" revealed an interesting paradox. When these good habits are transformed into mandatory rules by the government, public support tends to decrease.
Researchers from the Santa Fe Institute in the United States, including Katrin Schmelz, explained in their study that excessive control from external parties, such as the government, actually reduces public interest in participating in climate actions. "Policies don’t just spur a target behavior. We find that they can change people’s underlying values," she said as quoted by Earth on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
The researchers found that mandatory climate policies can also backfire on public motivation. Instead of strengthening commitment, rules designed with a strict control approach potentially erode the environmental values already ingrained in individuals.
This psychological phenomenon is known as "crowding out", where external control from the government actually displaces an individual's internal motivation. When citizens feel that their autonomy is threatened or lost due to rigid rules, it triggers a reaction of rejection known as "control aversion". Ultimately, this leads to resistance against the policies.
This study provides an example by comparing it to the COVID-19 mandates. According to the researchers, the rejection of climate mandates appeared to be 52 percent higher than the rejection of pandemic controls. This serves as a warning for policymakers that coercive approaches are not always effective.
The study found that the key to long-term success is designing intelligent policies that respect individual freedom. Additionally, it also provides realistic alternatives, such as reliable public transportation, before restricting private vehicles, and building trust that the rules are truly effective in reducing emissions, rather than being merely symbolic.
However, it should be understood that not all policies result in the same degree of rejection. Research indicates that belief in effectiveness plays a key role. When the public believes that a policy truly reduces emissions, the opposition will decrease.
Read: A Lesson in Climate Science Behind the Devastation Across Sumatra
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