Virtual and Augmented Reality for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review

Title of the Paper

Virtual and Augmented Reality for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review

Bibliographic Information

• Subject Area: Applications of Extended Reality (XR) Technologies in Environmental Sustainability
• Keywords: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Environmental Sustainability, Systematic Literature Review, Learning Environments, User Interaction

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:
  1. Environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss are highly complex and challenging to communicate effectively to the public.
  2. Although the application of Extended Reality (XR) technologies is growing in many fields, research on their potential to promote environmental sustainability remains in its early stages, lacking systematic summaries.
  3. Many XR studies related to environmental issues are limited in scope, particularly in terms of experimental evidence on motivation and behavior change.
• Significance: Technologies like AR and VR can simulate realistic environmental experiences, effectively disseminating environmental information to the public, potentially influencing public behavior and emotions, and contributing positively to environmental protection.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  1. Literature reviews indicate that while XR's use in environmental education has gained attention, research on its impact on behavior change and overcoming psychological barriers is insufficient.
  2. Current research on XR applications in the field of environmental sustainability (ES) is fragmented and lacks a unified structural framework.

Solutions

• Methods or Solutions: This study systematically evaluates 80 articles on XR applications in the ES field, analyzing their design methods, target audiences, and corresponding research outcomes, while exploring future research directions.
• Innovations:
  1. Provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of methods and outcomes related to XR in the field of environmental sustainability.
  2. Identifies the current capabilities of XR technologies and proposes a future research agenda to address theoretical, thematic, and methodological gaps.
• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:
  1. Screened literature following PRISMA 2020 guidelines (standards for systematic literature reviews).
  2. Conducted keyword searches in the Scopus database to retrieve studies related to XR and environmental sustainability.
  3. Used ATLAS.ti software to code and analyze extracted data, systematically categorizing effects, interaction methods, and technological applications.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  1. XR technologies (including VR and AR) have seen rapid growth in environmental-themed research, particularly since 2018.
  2. Most studies focus on educational environments (e.g., classrooms, public education), with less emphasis on behavior change or enhancing connections to nature.
  3. Identified 31 common features of XR applications (e.g., gamification elements, immersion mechanisms, and user interaction methods) and recognized their potential value in learning and psychological applications.
• Advantages of Existing Solutions: Compared to traditional educational media, XR can more effectively enhance public awareness of environmental issues by offering immersive interactions and experimental experiences.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  1. Research on XR's effects on learning and knowledge acquisition is the most extensive, demonstrating its ability to aid knowledge retention and contextual understanding.
  2. While VR has shown some positive effects on behavioral intentions and a sense of connection to nature, the long-term sustainability of these effects has not been empirically validated.
  3. There are related effects, such as how spatial presence influences psychological distance variables, but relevant studies are limited.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations:
    1. The exact mechanisms of XR applications in the field of environmental sustainability remain unclear.
    2. Current research is fragmented, lacking consistent measurement standards, making it difficult to compare findings across studies.
  • Future Directions:
    1. Expand research on XR's role in promoting behavior change and connections to nature.
    2. Explore the applicability of different interaction mechanisms and immersive features in XR on audience cognition and behavior.
    3. Conduct more comparative studies to clarify the advantages of XR technologies over other educational media.
    4. Pay attention to ethical implications in technology and user interaction, and investigate potential negative effects of long-term XR use.