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How did Environmental Awareness Work? Cross-Country Evidence About Sustainability-Oriented Behaviors

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  • Enrico Gabriele

    (LUMSA University)

Abstract

This empirical paper explores environmental awareness (EA) in the form of awareness of climate vulnerability and its impact on the economic actions of daily life around the world. Five economic actions are selected from the World Values Survey (WVS, 2019). Only two actions appear to be related to EA (albeit in different ways), so this may explain why detecting EA under past approaches has been so difficult. Our analysis—based on the social cost‒benefit analysis approach of Plottu Plottu (Ecol Econ 61(1):52–61, 2007)—verifies that EA has been addressed in terms of willingness-to-pay as a predictor of environmentally oriented economic actions, net of geopolitical factors and/or personal beliefs. Interest rates, other macroeconomic predictors, and nonpecuniary variables are tested to corroborate the strength of this evidence. These variables are able to distinguish individual, collective and community concerns (Plottu and Plottu, 2007). The empirical evidence suggests that a weak sustainability process Turner (Sustainable environmental economics and management: principles and practice. Belhaven, London (Chapter 1), 1993) has prevailed at the world level.

Suggested Citation

  • Enrico Gabriele, 2023. "How did Environmental Awareness Work? Cross-Country Evidence About Sustainability-Oriented Behaviors," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 9(3), pages 1365-1411, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:italej:v:9:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s40797-022-00213-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s40797-022-00213-3
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    JEL classification:

    • C26 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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