Public Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change What Worked Earlier, What Works Now, and What Can Work in the Future

Public awareness about the environment has grown strongly since the 1970s, but awareness does not always turn into daily habits. This paper explains—in simple language—(1) what worked earlier (mass movements, TV/radio, school and community campaigns, laws and pricing), (2) what works now (digital media plus behaviour-science tools such as social norms, feedback, and defaults), and (3) what can work best in the future (systems that make green behaviour easy, normal, measurable, and fair). Evidence from well-known behaviour frameworks (COM-B / Behaviour Change Wheel and Community-Based Social Marketing) and major field studies suggests that the best results come from bundles: awareness + facilities + social support + incentives/rules + feedback.