Learning with Economists in Petro-Rich Economies: Climate Change Policies in Russia

Talk by Gerhard Toews (University of Stavanger) as part of the Research Seminar Series of the IOS Economics Department.

Gerhard Toews and Anton Suvorov conduct a survey experiment in Russia to examine public attitudes toward climate change, focusing on two central aspects. First, individuals in fossil fuel-rich regions exhibit somewhat greater skepticism toward the anthropogenic nature of climate change—mirroring patterns observed in other resource-rich countries such as the US and Australia. However, at the national level, Russia does not differ substantially from other countries in terms of overall understanding of climate change and climate policy. Second, they assess the effectiveness of various informational treatments. A simple scientific explanation of the causal link between human activity and climate change significantly increases belief in its anthropogenic origins. In contrast, official government statements claiming the existence of such a relationship but lacking scientific detail have no effect. More interestingly, when the economic mechanisms behind climate policies—such as taxes and regulations—are explained, respondents become more aware of policy costs, and public willingness to adopt private behaviour decline while not generating any support for climate policies. However, official government statements emphasising the need for climate policies and international cooperation on climate change related issues increase support for climate policies. These results have policy implications on how not to communicate climate change related policies to the public.