Evolving Perspectives
National Environmental Sustainability and Economic Preferences
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lisa Wester
In the light of large country differences in terms of environmental performance, various explanations have been provided on the question of why some nations have been more successful than others in their efforts to, for example, reduce emissions, make more effective use of natural resources, and mitigate environmental deterioration. This paper examines whether nationally aggregated risk and time preferences are predictors for differences in countries' environmental performance. Economic preference values are obtained from the Global Preference Survey (GPS). For the assessment of each country’s environmental sustainability it is drawn on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). In line with theoretical considerations and anecdotal empirical evidence, this study finds (via OLS and Poisson regressions) that countries with higher levels of patience and risk aversion more successfully respond to challenges to environmental sustainability. These findings are robust across different model specifications and alternative econometric approaches. Estimating the relationship at a subnational level leads to similar patterns. A systematic investigation of the role of risk and time preferences can deepen the understanding of cross-country differences in environmental performance and, thereby, help policy makers and international institutions to develop and implement adequate programs, which promote sustainable development (more) effectively. For instance, taking into account the diverse preference profiles can facilitate working up implementation mechanisms for environmental agreements and assessing whether environmental practices and instruments being in place in one region can be applied successfully to another region.
Leveraging Emotions for Climate Action: Harnessing Social Media Data and Cutting-Edge Technologies for Sustainable Development
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hana Ghiloufi
Climate change remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time, yet traditional methods of engaging the public often fail to effectively mobilize action. This presentation explores a novel approach to climate communication by examining the role of emotions in shaping public perceptions and behaviors toward climate change. Drawing on advancements in natural language processing (NLP), sentiment analysis, and topic modeling, this research proposes to harness social media data as a lens through which emotional responses to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be identified and analyzed. By focusing on emotions such as fear, hope, and anger, this approach aims to uncover how emotional engagement with climate discourse influences pro-environmental behaviors and supports more effective policy development as well as what are the most effective methods to analyze such problem. Although no empirical data has been collected at this stage, the proposed methodology envisions a two-step process: first, extracting and categorizing emotions from social media content, and second, examining how these emotions may correlate with public climate action. Ultimately, this research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersection between emotion, technology, and sustainable development, offering guidance for policymakers, environmental communicators, and researchers seeking to foster stronger, emotion-driven engagement with climate change solutions.
