BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – New research out of the University of Vermont shows Americans may be more willing to pay for climate policy once they’ve been through an extreme weather event themselves.
For the study, researchers from UVM and the University of Colorado examined survey data from nearly 6,000 people around the country about their experiences of extreme climate events. The findings, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, suggest that when people feel the impacts of climate change, regardless of their stated stances on the issue, they are willing to pay more for a means of mitigating it.
John McMahon spoke with Trisha Shrum, a behavioral and environmental economist, who took part in the research.