By Charity Waithima

On November 17, the Psychology Department, in collaboration with the Embassy of Austria in Nairobi, hosted a public lecture delivered by Dr. Sabrina Schopf from Johannes Kepler University Linz. The event was attended by representatives from the embassies of Switzerland, Zambia, Indonesia, Austria, and Nepal, the Kenyan Permanent Mission to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) & the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) representation, Horizon 3000 climate advisor, faculty, and students.

Under the topic, "The Value Action Gap - Psychological Perspectives on Sustainability, the lecture explored the psychological and behavioral dimensions underlying environmental sustainability. Dr. Sabrina explained that people genuinely care about the environment, yet routines, convenience, habits, and structural barriers often make it difficult to act in line with those values. Understanding this gap means looking at both the psychological processes behind behavior and the everyday circumstances people navigate.

She explored the mechanisms that create the Value - Action Gap, including cognitive dissonance, perceived control, and structural or social constraints. People engage in sustainable actions depending on their situation and environmental knowledge. The value gap does not mean that people do not care or have moral disengagement. Evidence-based data pointed to the conclusion that higher income is often linked to lower sustainable engagement, likely because more consumption becomes part of daily life. Full-time employment can limit sustainable behavior due to restricted time and energy, while parenthood can strengthen existing motivation among those who already care. The results highlight how strongly real-life contexts shape environmentally sustainable action.

The session served as a platform for dialogue among the diplomatic community, academia, and researchers on environmental policy and global sustainability initiatives. The psychology department looks forward to more collaborations with the foreign missions to enhance multicultural diversity in dealing with human behavior and policy formulation.