Considering the harmful environmental effects produced by pollution, overpopulation, and depletion of natural resources, numerous scholars and public officials have called for increased urgency in motivating people to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. One significant way of meeting such calls involves our behavior as consumers. For example, people often have the option of switching from conventional products to energy-efficient or reusable "green" products. Yet, while green options are becoming more widely available, many barriers to change remain. For instance, people are notoriously reluctant to change familiar patterns of behavior, and making a switch to green behaviors often necessitates making sacrifices (e.g., paying more for a less effective product).

    Based on research on energy conservation in the wake of the 1970s energy crisis, researchers have continued to investigate strategies that promote conservation behaviors. However, they need to consider the underlying motives for conservation in order to develop an effective strategy. In fact, those motives have been identified. Each of them suggests different strategies for stimulating conservation. Therefore, public officials should choose one best strategy to converse environment.

    According to an environmental concern perspective, people are assumed to engage in conservation primarily because they, at some level, basically care about the security of the planet and its inhabitants. To motivate green behavior from this perspective, an effective strategy involves better informing people about the plight of the environment. Accordingly, information campaigns about the dangerous state of the planet should lead people to behave in a pro-environmental fashion, even if going green requires some sacrifice on the part of consumers. In contrast, a rational economic perspective suggests that conservation is primarily determined by economic reasons. As a result, an effective way to motivate people to go green is by making green products cheaper, more efficient, and providing consumers with financial incentives (e.g., tax breaks) to buy them. The motives related to environmental concern and economic advantage can certainly spur conservation.

(Adapted from: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)

What does the author imply by stating "... while green options are becoming more widely available, many barriers to change remain" in lines 6?