Work

Uncertainty about carbon impact and the willingness to avoid CO 2 emissions

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Using data from a large representative survey, we document that consumers are very uncertain about the emissions associated with various actions, which may affect their willingness to reduce their carbon footprint. We then experimentally test two channels for the behavioral impact of such uncertainty, namely risk aversion about the impact of mitigating actions and the formation of motivated beliefs about this impact. In two novel large online experiments ( N = 2 , 219 ), participants make incentivized trade-offs between personal gain and (uncertain) carbon impact. We find no evidence that uncertainty affects individual climate change mitigation efforts through risk aversion or motivated belief channels. The results suggest that reducing consumer uncertainty through information campaigns is not a policy panacea and that communicating scientific uncertainty around climate impact need not backfire.

Source: Ecological Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108401

Authors: Davide D. Pace, Taisuke Imai, Peter Schwardmann, Joël J. van der Weele

Institutions: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, The University of Osaka, Carnegie Mellon University, Tinbergen Institute, University of Amsterdam

Language: Latvian

Topic: Climate Change Communication and Perception

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,690