Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Energy Research & Social Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/erss How does one motivate climate mitigation? Examining energy conservation, climate change, and personal perceptions in Bangladesh and Pakistan Shahzad Alvi a, ⁎ , Shahzada M. Naeem Nawaz b , Umer Khayyam c a School of Social Sciences and Humanities (S 3 H), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan b Punjab Economic Research Institute, Lahore, Pakistan c Department of Development Studies, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (S 3 H), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Climate change Energy conservation Mitigation Personal perception South Asia Theory of Planned Behavior ABSTRACT The consciousness among the policymakers and general people regarding climate change is increasing, yet, plenty of barriers to mitigate climate change are widespread in developing countries wherein the situation is not different in Bangladesh and Pakistan. This study aims to provide evidences about perception, motivation and attitude for climate change mitigation through energy conservation. The survey is conducted in Dhaka and Islamabad on deploying in-total 800 self-administered questionnaires, whereas the analysis is done through descriptive statistics and the logistic model. The study finds that perception about benefits, cue to action, self- efficacy is deficient among residents of both the countries. Further, the attitude toward reduction of the use of gasoline, energy consumption at home, recycling of waste and water conservation is also not optimistic among the majority of the residents in both the capital cities. The results of the logistic model also reveal that in- dividuals; who believe that climate change can endanger their life, have higher income and education and they are more likely to take mitigation strategies in both Bangladesh and Pakistan. Thus, the study suggests that the governments in both the countries should take necessary measures to sensitise people about taking necessary mitigation measures also energy conservation, through awareness campaigns. 1. Introduction Mitigation efforts to keep Greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions below the critical level as defined inParis agreement have considerable im- portance. However, changing the behaviour and management practices of individuals has not been an area of interest for the researchers [1]. The rising threat of global climate change can be mitigated by under- standing the perception, willingness and extent to which individuals are ready to change their consumption patterns [2]. It is established that the change in individual behaviour can significantly reduce GHG emissions [3]. Threats and ramifications of the changing climatic pat- terns in terms of magnitude as well as measures to mitigate its adverse impacts are large [4]. Furthermore, climate change and associated climate variability is expected to further intensify global socio-economic disparities [5]. The anticipated climate change impacts could be categorized as either direct or indirect, which look simple construction and dichotomy, but in- reality they are constitutes a complex and multifarious continuum [6]. Thus, the adversities of climate change on the global system are enormous. It is projected to be severe than ever in human history as the level of GHGs are sharply increasing [7]. Adversities of climate change result in social and economic (in-/tangible) losses, and human health too upshots with an increased level of morbidity and mortality. Though less responsible, but developing countries are more affected by climate change events. Majority of the socio-economic losses in the developing countries are primarily due to their exposure to climatic changes [8]. Therefore, it is important for developing countries to de- velop evidence-based mitigation strategies and policies to minimize the adverse effects of climate change through increased awareness, espe- cially amongst energy users. The reason is obvious, the primary energy supplies are heavily dominated by fossil fuels, which are one among the major sources of climate vulnerabilities. It is important to develop proactive response strategies, which are based on community partici- pation to enhance capabilities [9]. For such strategies against the ad- versative impacts of climate change, there exists a dire need to study behavioural as well as the attitudinal change [10]. It is because, a baseline research study to develop effective mitigation in the commu- nities remains crucial. So, in order to develop effective mitigation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101645 Received 28 March 2020; Received in revised form 3 June 2020; Accepted 8 June 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author at: School of Social Sciences and Humanities (S 3 H), National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan. Phone: 0092 3324223015. E-mail addresses: shahzad.alvi@s3h.nust.edu.pk (S. Alvi), shahzada145@gmail.com (S.M.N. Nawaz), dr.umer@s3h.nust.edu.pk (U. Khayyam). Energy Research & Social Science 70 (2020) 101645 2214-6296/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T