Do single-use facemask users' care for the effects on the (marine) environment during the COVID-19 pandemic? Preliminary results from Greece

Iosif Botetzagias; Chrysovaladis Malesios

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112320

Do single-use facemask users' care for the effects on the (marine) environment during the COVID-19 pandemic? Preliminary results from Greece

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Jun:167:112320. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112320. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Authors

Iosif Botetzagias¹, Chrysovaladis Malesios²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Greece. Electronic address: iosif@aegean.gr.
² Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece. Electronic address: malesios@aua.gr.

Abstract

This paper examines which demographic and attitudinal characteristics relate to an individual's knowledge and perception of the environmental footprint of single-use mask s/he is using in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a self-selected sample of Greek citizens (N = 462), it is found that demographic characteristics and pro-environmental concern are unrelated to the single-use mask users' knowledge and concern regarding the environmental impacts of the mask they are using. This unanticipated finding suggests that the circumstances of the COVID pandemic may mute the theoretically taken-for-granted connection between environmental interest/concern and the awareness of environmental impacts, thus any future attempts to introduce more environmentally-friendly single-use mask alternatives and/or to curb the current ones' environmental impact should start by reenergizing this suppressed nexus.

Keywords: COVID-19; Environmental concern; Face mask; Greece.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Greece
Humans
Male
Masks*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2