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As international efforts to mitigate greenhouse gases continue to fall short of global targets, the scientific community increasingly debates the role of solar geoengineering in climate policy. Given the infancy of these technologies, the debate is not yet whether to deploy solar geoengineering but whether solar geoengineering deserves consideration and research funding. Looming large over this discussion is the moral hazard conjecture – normalizing solar geoengineering will decrease mitigation efforts. Using a controlled experiment of a collective-risk social dilemma that simulates the strategic decisions of heterogeneous groups to mitigate emissions and deploy solar geoengineering, we find no evidence for the moral hazard conjecture. On the contrary, when people in the experiment are given the option to deploy solar geoengineering, average investment in mitigation increases.
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ADDRESSING SOCIAL DILEMMAS WITH MASCOTS, INFORMATION, AND GRAPHICS
Reducing nonpoint source pollution is a complex social dilemma involving externalities, information asymmetries, and coordination problems. Using a laboratory experiment, this research investigates how mascots, public information, and data visualization can improve collective group behavior to address a social dilemma. Results show that groups reduce pollution in the experiment when a community mascot expresses negative emotions in response to poor water quality outcomes. Additionally, groups pollute less when they are provided public information about water quality, and abatement is greater when feedback is negatively framed. This study demonstrates how novel nonmonetary incentives can be used to achieve a collective environmental goal. (JELD79, Q25, Q52, Q53, D83)
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- Award ID(s):
- 1757353
- PAR ID:
- 10458861
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Economic Inquiry
- Volume:
- 58
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0095-2583
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 150-168
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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