A new study analyzes the factors that increase the population’s environmental awareness and thus their willingness to fight the climate crisis.
A study shows that a more equal distribution of income and wealth has a positive effect on prioritizing environmental issues
Although we have long felt the effects of the climate crisis first-hand, the majority of Europeans still do not consider climate change, environment and energy to be among the most pressing issues for national politics. One Studyin the Global Environmental Change was published, has examined why this is and what factors drive people’s concern for the environment and climate, so that their motivation to protect the climate increases.
Context matters
Scientists in IIASA-Program for Population and Equitable Societies examined how environmental preferences in 206 European regions shaped by socio-economic, geographic and meteorological circumstances. The aim was to provide a data-driven perspective on the determinants of environmental concerns to highlight the importance of embedding individuals in socioeconomic and environmental contexts and to compare factors that differ mainly between regions. For example, inequality, income level or geographical characteristics.
The research team used this as a basis to find the determinants of environmental concerns 25 Eurobarometer surveysthat between 2009 and 2019 were carried out, combined with measures on the regional economy, population, geography, environmental quality and meteorological events. The investigations showed that favorable economic conditions such as a relative high income level and a low inflation promote environmental awareness. This is probably related to the idea of a “finite worry pools’, in which more immediate issues such as economic security crowd out less immediate issues such as climate policy.
distribution question
The results showed that a more even distribution von income and Assets had a positive impact on the prioritization of environmental issues, suggesting that social cohesion beneficial for ecological concerns. In addition, it was found that regions with greenhouse gas-intensive industries have lower environmental concerns among local residents. They are probably concerned about the possible impact of environmental policies on their economic competitiveness in the transition from fossil to clean technologies. While some geographic factors, such as a low-lying coastline, also influence environmental concerns, the socio-economic context was found to be more important overall.
The head of the study summarizes that climate policy and environmental protection are particularly unpopular when they are believed to increase income and wealth inequality, inflation and unemployment. The results underscore that social cohesion and a just transition to carbon neutrality the Key to broad support of environmental policy are and prove once again: environmental and social policy have been played off against each other for long enough. The ecological turnaround needs social justice.
