Support for Climate Action Hinges on Public Understanding of Policy

IMF Blog, February 10, 2023

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Survey size and timing:
- almost 30,000 people
- 28 countries
- conducted in July and August by market researcher YouGov
Coverage:
- included 20 of the top 25 emitters
- included nine of the 25 countries most exposed to climate change
Contextual urgency:
- world is not yet on track to contain global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius
- failing to get emissions on the correct course by 2030 may lock global warming above 2 degrees and risk a catastrophic tipping point

General finding:
- People across the world worry about climate change, but that concern alone doesn’t translate into support for climate mitigation policies.
Correlates of higher concern:
- more likely to be female
- more educated
- followers of news
- more accepting of government’s role in regulating the economy
- public transport users and those that rely less on cars

Information effects:
- providing even small amounts of information on policy efficacy and benefits—including co-benefits, such as improved air quality and better health—can engender greater support
- this increased support may be short-lived if policy tradeoffs are not made explicit
Political economy:
- some of the most economically efficient policies, such as carbon pricing based on the content of fuels or their emissions, often face political resistance
- climate concern alone doesn’t translate into broad support for carbon pricing policies such as carbon taxes or emissions trading systems
Conditions that increase acceptability of carbon pricing:
- presenting information about the impact of climate change
- explaining how pricing works
- describing options for using the revenue it generates
- stronger support if revenues are used to shield economically vulnerable groups from adverse impacts

Subsidies and public investment:
- subsidizing green investments finds large support across all countries
- opponents often cite concerns about corruption and policy ineffectiveness
- proponents can sometimes fail to recognize the costs associated with these policies for the public budget
- implication: public spending and investment efficiency matters in enhancing support for greening the economy

Collective action and fairness:
- a majority of respondents across all countries think that climate change policy will only be effective if most countries adopt measures to reduce carbon emissions
- most respondents in both advanced and emerging market economies think that all countries, not only rich ones, should pay to address climate change
- a large share of respondents in most countries say burden sharing should be based on current rather than historical emissions
Political implication:
- the public is likely to back costly climate policies if other countries do so, both because this increases the odds of reaching global net-zero emissions goals and because those efforts resonate as fair

Knowledge gaps:
- knowledge of climate mitigation policies remains patchy
- many people still have no opinion when it comes to supporting or opposing climate policy actions in their country
How governments can better support green transitions:
- Educate the public about the causes and consequences of climate change and the costs of inaction
- Talk about the costs of inaction, such as pollution, and the benefits of addressing these, like improvements for air quality, health, and protection of low-income households
- Emphasize that the policies work, so the trade-offs are worth it
- Underscore the shared spirit of solidarity and need for strong climate policies in a broad range of economies

Source: Support for Climate Action Hinges on Public Understanding of Policy, February 10, 2023.