The behavioral economics of extreme event attribution
Can Attribution Science, a method for quantifying - ex post - humanity's contribution to adverse climatic events, induce pro-environmental behavioral change? We conduct a conceptual test of this question by studying, in an online experiment with 3,031 participants, whether backwards-looking att...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) Book/Monograph |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Heidelberg
Heidelberg University, Department of Economics
24 Jan. 2024
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| Series: | AWI discussion paper series
no. 741 (January 2024) |
| In: |
AWI discussion paper series (no. 741 (January 2024))
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| DOI: | 10.11588/heidok.00034341 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/34341/7/Behavioral_Economics_Extreme_Event_Attribution_dp741_2024.pdf Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00034341 Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-343416 Langzeitarchivierung Nationalbibliothek, kostenfrei: https://d-nb.info/1317193482/34 Verlag, kostenfrei: http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/34341 Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/283527 
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| Author Notes: | Florian Diekert, Timo Goeschl, Christian König-Kersting |
| Summary: | Can Attribution Science, a method for quantifying - ex post - humanity's contribution to adverse climatic events, induce pro-environmental behavioral change? We conduct a conceptual test of this question by studying, in an online experiment with 3,031 participants, whether backwards-looking attribution affects future decisions, even when seemingly uninformative to a consequentialist decision-maker. By design, adverse events can arise as a result of participants' pursuit of higher payoffs (anthropogenic cause) or as a result of chance (natural cause). Treatments vary whether adverse events are causally attributable and whether attribution can be acquired at cost. We find that ex-post attributability is behaviorally relevant: Attribution to an anthropogenic cause reduces future anthropogenic stress and leads to fewer adverse events compared to no attributability and compared to attribution to a natural cause. Average willingness-to-pay for ex-post attribution is positive. The conjecture that Attribution Science can be behaviorally impactful and socially valuable has empirical merit. |
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| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| DOI: | 10.11588/heidok.00034341 |