Climate of the Middle: Understanding Climate Change as a Common Challenge

Description

This Open Access book presents a multidisciplinary perspective to increase our understanding of climate policies that are rooted in the natural moral inclinations of people, families and firms. Which policies prevent a widening gap between higher and lower educated people? Which policy instruments are there, and how could they be used? What is the role of free entrepreneurship? In this book, academics from different fields have brought together their knowledge and expertise to reflect on the following three questions: How are the polarised positions on climate change of different groups related to their moral outlook, world view, tradition, cultural norms and values?What is a good distribution of responsibilities between firms, households and the government relating to climate change?What are possible avenues where the climate policies are a natural extension of moral inclinations of families and firms, such as the stewardship for the natural environment and the climate? This book will be of interest to policy and decision-makers, students of social and behavioural sciences, and those interested climate change policies and how this effects our lives Preface Contents Contributors Chapter 1: Introduction and Lessons Learned 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Dealing with Polarised Positions on Climate Change 1.3 Achieving a Good Distribution of Responsibilities 1.4 Building on Existing Moral Inclinations 1.5 Conclusion References Chapter 2: Perceptions of Catastrophic Climate Risks 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Why Perceptions of Climate Risks Matter 2.3 Biases and Heuristics in Decision-Making 2.4 Policies that Work With—Not Against—Behavioral Biases 2.5 Conclusion References Chapter 3: Determinants of Belief – And Unbelief – In Climate Change 3.1 The Scientific Consensus and Public Reception 3.2 Cognitive, Motivational and Social Determinants of Disbelief in Climate Change 3.3 Conspiratorial Thinking 3.4 Doubt and Uncertainty as a Political Strategy 3.5 Conclusion References Chapter 4: Climate Catastrophes as a Sum of Known Risks 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Difficulties in Grasping the Scale and Impact of the Problem 4.3 The Apparent Predictability and Manageability of Climate Change 4.4 The Corona Crisis as a Harbinger of Climate Risks 4.5 Catastrophes as Cascades of Foreseeable Problems 4.6 Conclusion References Chapter 5: The Green Challenge for Central Banks and Households 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Who Should Act? 5.3 Greening Monetary Policy 5.4 Greening Consumption 5.5 Conclusion References Chapter 6: Corporate Taxation in a Circular Economy 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Dilemmas of Corporate Taxation in a Circular Economy 6.3 A Legitimate Green Corporate Tax 6.4 Corporate Tax Design in a Circular Economy 6.5 Conclusion References Chapter 7: Climate Change in the Attention Arena of the Middle Class 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The Middle Class and Its Worries 7.3 Sentiment Can Reverse Quickly – The Virus 7.4 Climate Change Concerns as a Cultural Phenomenon 7.5 Challenges for Obtaining Efficient Interventions 7.6 Focusing the Goodwill of the Western Middle-Class: Apollo Projects 7.7 Conclusion References