“Not me, but others!”

NOMBO effect as a delay mechanism to sustainability transition

Abstract

Redirection of environmental responsibility from oneself to others is used as an argumentation in discussions concerning both personal lifestyle and environmental politics. In psychology, redirection of responsibility is explained with defence mechanisms that arise from cognitive dissonance and a weak sense of personal efficacy to bring about change. In this study we shed light to a specific delay mechanism in sustainability transition: redirection of environmental responsibility from oneself or one’s in-group to others. We call this kind of an argument or mindset “Not me, but others” effect or “NOMBO”. We use the multi-level perspective framework (MLP) to reflect NOMBO thinking on a societal level. In addition, we present the results of a survey which targeted Finnish corporate executives. The study revealed a positive correlation between self-reported efficacy and responsibility. It also indicated that in the businesses whose executives expressed NOMBO mindset, less ecologically sustainable business models were present compared to businesses whose executives expressed high (efficacy and) responsibility. Thus, NOMBO mindset can be seen as a possible barrier to sustainability transition. NOMBO arguments may also have broader political relevance in the context of environmental politics, such as international climate negotiations and national implementation of emission reduction policies.