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Patience and climate change mitigation: Global evidence
Meina Cai1, Ilia Murtazashvili2, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili2
1Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Environmental Research
|July 17, 2020
Summary
Societies that are more patient, meaning they prioritize the future, are more likely to adopt public policies for climate change mitigation. This future orientation helps in accepting current costs for long-term environmental benefits.
Area of Science:
- Social Science
- Environmental Policy
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Climate change mitigation involves complex economic, political, and social factors.
- Societal patience, or future orientation, is a key social dimension influencing climate policy.
- Understanding this link is crucial for effective global greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between society-wide patience and the adoption of climate change mitigation policies.
- To determine if future-oriented societies are more inclined to support policies combating global greenhouse gas emissions.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional country-level data analysis.
- Statistical controls for theoretically relevant factors influencing policy adoption.
- Evaluation of the correlation between societal patience and climate policy adoption.
Main Results:
- Patient societies demonstrate a higher likelihood of adopting public policies for climate change mitigation.
- This finding holds even when controlling for other significant factors.
- Societal future orientation is a significant predictor of climate policy adoption.
Conclusions:
- Societal patience is a critical factor in the adoption of effective climate change mitigation policies.
- Future-oriented societies are better equipped to handle the short-term costs associated with long-term environmental benefits.
- Policy interventions aimed at fostering long-term thinking may enhance climate action.
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