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Fossil fuels, employment, and support for climate policies

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  • Tvinnereim, Endre
  • Ivarsflaten, Elisabeth

Abstract

We know that the costs of implementing various climate change mitigation policies are not uniformly distributed across individuals in society, but we do not know to what extent this unequal cost distribution influences public support for these various policies. This study shows that cost distribution is an important explanation for variations in public support for various climate policies. Using individual-level data on industry of employment and support for a range of climate policies, we find that those employed in the fossil fuel industry are less likely to support climate policies that are particularly costly to their industry, but are as likely as everybody else to support policies with lower costs to the industry. This finding challenges the traditional bifurcation between climate change "skeptics" and "acceptors." Furthermore, we find that opposition to renewable energy by large fossil fuel producers and consumers, identified in the political economy literature, is not uniformly found among these companies’ employees. The most important implication of this study for policy makers is that support for climate policies is sensitive to the compensation of exposed groups and stimulation of alternative avenues for employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Tvinnereim, Endre & Ivarsflaten, Elisabeth, 2016. "Fossil fuels, employment, and support for climate policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 364-371.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:96:y:2016:i:c:p:364-371
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.05.052
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    4. Will McDowall & Tobias Reinauer & Panagiotis Fragkos & Michal Miedzinski & Jennifer Cronin, 2023. "Mapping regional vulnerability in Europe’s energy transition: development and application of an indicator to assess declining employment in four carbon-intensive industries," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 1-23, February.
    5. Pierre-Louis Choquet, 2019. "Piercing the corporate veil: Towards a better assessment of the position of transnational oil and gas companies in the global carbon budget," Post-Print hal-04401241, HAL.
    6. Olson-Hazboun, Shawn K. & Howe, Peter D. & Leiserowitz, Anthony, 2018. "The influence of extractive activities on public support for renewable energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 117-126.
    7. Chiara Ravetti & Tania Theoduloz & Giulia Valacchi, 2020. "Buy Coal or Kick-Start Green Innovation? Energy Policies in an Open Economy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(1), pages 95-126, September.
    8. Ugarte Lucas, Paula & Gamborg, Christian & Lund, Thomas Bøker, 2022. "Sustainability concerns are key to understanding public attitudes toward woody biomass for energy: A survey of Danish citizens," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 181-194.
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