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When Pixels Turn Green: The role of virtual reality in the fight against climate change

Abstract

Nature has found a way to make itself heard. Disasters like floods, heatwaves, and the extinction of flora and wildlife should serve as a wake up call for humanity to act more sustainable in the climate crisis. However, far off occurrences in both space and time, along with disconnectedness from nature, appear to preclude effective responses. This review explores how Virtu al Reality (VR) technology can be used to circumvent those limitations, thus offering a vital method to inspiring people. VR has the ability to enhance reality by allowing users to see their environmental impact, immerse themselves in different worlds, or change the passage of time. However, the lack of longitudinal designs or energy intensive online data storage may eventually undermine VR's usefulness in fighting climate change. This work exposes appropriate VR approaches to apply (self efficacy, immersion ……), how they affect individuals, and the method's broader societal consequences.

Keywords

Virtual Reality, Environmental Communication, Embodied Experience, Climate Change, Connectedness with Nature

How to Cite

Franke, I. F., (2025) “When Pixels Turn Green: The role of virtual reality in the fight against climate change”, Science for Sustainability (S4S) Journal 8(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.53466/s4s.28

Funding

Name
German Academic Exchange Service
FundRef ID
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100021828
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Authors

Isabel Florence Franke orcid logo (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

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Licence

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

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Peer Review

This article has been peer reviewed.

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