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The 1(%): carbon inequality, responsibility attribution, and support for climate policies.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	The 1(%): carbon inequality, responsibility attribution, and support for climate policies.
Authors:	Beiser-McGrath, Liam F.¹ (AUTHOR) l.f.beiser-mcgrath@lse.ac.uk, Sotis, Chiara² (AUTHOR) chiara.sotis@northwestern.edu
Source:	Climatic Change. Jun2026, Vol. 179 Issue 6, p1-13. 13p.
Abstract:	Mitigating climate change requires individual behavioral changes and robust support for green policies. However, significant carbon inequality—where wealthier individuals have disproportionately larger carbon footprints—potentially poses a challenge to building broad-based demands for meaningful climate change mitigation. High emissions by the wealthiest in society may dampen the general public’s perception of responsibility and support for policies necessary for stringent climate change mitigation. For this reason, we investigate how information about unequal carbon emissions within countries affects public support for climate mitigation efforts through a survey experiment (N = 1,110) on a representative sample of US respondents, providing information about the distribution of carbon emissions. Results show that exposure to this information increases support for stringent climate policies, particularly those targeting wealthy individuals. Notably, respondents perceive wealthier individuals as more responsible for climate change, without diminishing their own sense of responsibility for reducing pro-environmental behaviors. These findings suggest that making carbon inequality more salient can enhance broad-based support for climate policies without compromising individual engagement, offering insights into strategies for facilitating the green transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database:	Energy & Power Source

Description
Abstract:	Mitigating climate change requires individual behavioral changes and robust support for green policies. However, significant carbon inequality—where wealthier individuals have disproportionately larger carbon footprints—potentially poses a challenge to building broad-based demands for meaningful climate change mitigation. High emissions by the wealthiest in society may dampen the general public’s perception of responsibility and support for policies necessary for stringent climate change mitigation. For this reason, we investigate how information about unequal carbon emissions within countries affects public support for climate mitigation efforts through a survey experiment (N = 1,110) on a representative sample of US respondents, providing information about the distribution of carbon emissions. Results show that exposure to this information increases support for stringent climate policies, particularly those targeting wealthy individuals. Notably, respondents perceive wealthier individuals as more responsible for climate change, without diminishing their own sense of responsibility for reducing pro-environmental behaviors. These findings suggest that making carbon inequality more salient can enhance broad-based support for climate policies without compromising individual engagement, offering insights into strategies for facilitating the green transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	01650009
DOI:	10.1007/s10584-026-04214-4