Nauges, Céline and Wheeler, Sarah Ann (2015) The complex relationship between households’ climate change concerns and their water and energy mitigation behaviour. TSE Working Paper, n. 15-611, Toulouse

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Abstract

Climate change will require commitment by all levels of the community, but there is still uncertainty surrounding the best way to influence individual mitigation behaviour. This study analyses household survey data on water and energy climate change mitigation behaviour from eleven OECD countries in 2011, and provides new evidence of a form of maladaptation, namely a complex rebound relationship between climate change attitudes and mitigation behaviour. First, results confirm other studies that climate change concerns and economic incentives (in terms of electricity and water charges) positively influence mitigation behaviour. Second, we find that the more costly, in terms of time and/or money, are the mitigation actions of a household, the more likely undertaking such actions directly lessens respondents’ climate change concerns. This negative rebound effect is more likely to occur in ‘environmentally-motivated’ households, who are more likely to have stated they believe human actions can help mitigate climate change. Conversely, economic incentives in driving energy and water pro-environmental behaviour work better in non-environmentallymotivated households. This highlights that a portfolio of policies is needed to drive mitigation behaviour.

Item Type: Monograph (Working Paper)
Language: English
Date: November 2015
Place of Publication: Toulouse
Uncontrolled Keywords: economic incentives, rebound effect, mitigation behaviour, climate change attitudes
Subjects: B- ECONOMIE ET FINANCE
Divisions: TSE-R (Toulouse)
Institution: Université Toulouse 1 Capitole
Site: UT1
Date Deposited: 30 Jun 2016 15:49
Last Modified: 02 Apr 2021 15:50
OAI Identifier: oai:tse-fr.eu:29950
URI: https://publications.ut-capitole.fr/id/eprint/19150

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