Comfortably numb : Exploring the impact of moral disengagement on luxury emissions

Abstract: Those least responsible for climate change are most vulnerable to its impacts, raising the question of climate justice and moral responsibility for emissions. This thesis combines Shue’s concept of subsistence- and luxury emissions, with Bandura’s theory of moral disengagement. A multiple regression analysis (n = 87) of data from an online questionnaire was conducted to examine whether moral disengagement, environmental engagement and gender predicted past luxury emissions. The overall regression model including environmental engagement (β = -0.362, p = .006), social desirability (β = -0.069, p = .095) and age (β = 0.026, p = .071) was statistically significant (R^2 = .143, F (3,83) = 4.618, p = .005). Although no correlations between luxury emissions and moral disengagement or gender were found, possibly due to the biased sample, the thesis discusses potential strategies for increasing moral engagement, as previous research has found morality and justice to be important motivators for environmental action.