Paying for Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

• In Event: Influence of Disasters on Public Policy

Abstract

Global warming is poised to create more extreme weather. Scientists anticipate more frequent flooding, drought, wild fire and other natural calamities. How do communities adapt to climate change? In particular, how do state and local governments incentivize residents to pay for or support climate change adaptation strategies that do not reap immediate benefits?
Support for adaptation strategies among the public general can be affected by one’s socio-economic-political attributes. By conducting our original public opinion survey, we begin the paper by mapping out the connection among one’s political ideology, education, socio-economic status, family composition and support for climate change adaptation strategies. We then conduct a series of survey-embedded experiments to test how (1) availability of information; (2) framing of uncertainty; (3) use of emotional appeal; (4) different structuring of public financing options can affect one’s willingness to support climate adaption strategies. We will explore a number of climate change adaptation strategies, including land use zoning policy, mandatory/voluntary retreat, provision of government-subsided disaster insurance, grey vs. green solution for rising sea level.

Authors

• Bruce E. Cain, Stanford University

• Elisabeth R. Gerber, University of Michigan

• Iris Hui, Stanford University