Moral hazards and solar radiation management: evidence from a large-scale online experiment

Schoenegger, Philipp and Mintz-Woo, Kian (2024) Moral hazards and solar radiation management: evidence from a large-scale online experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 95. ISSN 0272-4944

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Abstract

Solar radiation management (SRM) may help to reduce the negative outcomes of climate change by minimising or reversing global warming. However, many express the worry that SRM may pose a moral hazard, i.e., that information about SRM may lead to a reduction in climate change mitigation efforts. In this paper, we report a large-scale preregistered, money-incentivised, online experiment with a representative US sample (N = 2284). We compare actual behaviour (donations to climate change charities and clicks on climate change petition links) as well as stated preferences (support for a carbon tax and self-reported intentions to reduce emissions) between participants who receive information about SRM with two control groups (a salience control that includes information about climate change generally and a content control that includes information about a different topic). Behavioural choices are made with an earned real-money endowment, and stated preference responses are incentivised via the Bayesian Truth Serum. We fail to find a significant impact of receiving information about SRM and, based on equivalence tests, we provide evidence in favour of the absence of a meaningfully large effect. Our results thus provide evidence for the claim that there is no detectable moral hazard with respect to SRM.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-e...
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Management
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2024 08:27
Last Modified:	01 May 2024 00:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/122699

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