Politics shapes individual choices about energy efï¬ciency
DOWNLOADMay 20, 2013 - Thomas Dietz , Christina Leshko, Aaron McCright
Journal or Book Title: PNAS
Keywords: Climate change, politics, consumers
Year Published: 2013
Commentary:
Addressing climate change effectively will require policy actions by both government and the private sector. However, individuals’ actions matter as well. Individuals’ consumption decisions can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Political support from citizens is necessary (although not sufficient) for implementing policy. Until now, most research has treated environmentally significant consumption and political support for the environment as separate issues. However, as Gromet et al. make clear in PNAS, merging these robust but separate streams of research can provide useful insights. Gromet et al.show that political orientation—where one falls on the spectrum from liberalism to conservatism—influences both support for energy-efficiency policy and the decision to purchase an energy-efficient product.
DOI: doi/10.1073/pnas.1307484110
Type of Publication: Journal Article