Are we willing to give what it takes? Willingness to pay for climate change adaptation in developing countries

Article


O'Garra, T. and Mourato, S. 2016. Are we willing to give what it takes? Willingness to pay for climate change adaptation in developing countries. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy. 5 (3), pp. 249-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/21606544.2015.1100560
TypeArticle
TitleAre we willing to give what it takes? Willingness to pay for climate change adaptation in developing countries
AuthorsO'Garra, T. and Mourato, S.
Abstract

Climate change adaptation is gaining traction as a necessary policy alongside mitigation, particularly for developing countries, many of which lack the resources to adapt. However, funding for developing country adaptation remains woefully inadequate. This paper identifies the burden of responsibility that individuals in the UK are willing to incur in support of adaptation projects in developing countries. Results from a nationally representative survey indicate that UK residents are willing to contribute £27 per year (or a median of £6 per year) towards developing country adaptation (US$30 and $7 using the World Bank’s purchasing power conversion factors). This represents less than one third of the back-of-the-envelope $100-140 per capita per year that the authors estimate would be needed to raise the $70-100bn per year recommended by the World Bank to fund developing country adaptation. Regressions indicate that WTP is driven mostly by a combination of beliefs and perceptions about one’s own knowledge levels, rather than actual knowledge of climate change. We conclude that, to engage the many different audiences that make up the ‘public’, communication efforts must move beyond the simple provision of information and instead, connect with people’s existing values and beliefs.

PublisherTaylor and Francis
JournalJournal of Environmental Economics and Policy
ISSN2160-6544
Publication dates
Online26 Oct 2015
Print01 Sep 2016
Publication process dates
Deposited14 Nov 2017
Accepted21 Sep 2015
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright Statement

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy on 26/10/2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/21606544.2015.1100560

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/21606544.2015.1100560
LanguageEnglish
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