Coping with the Commons Dilemma in Complex Issues: The Climate Change Example

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-83
Author(s):  
Regula Kyburz-Graber
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Commons Dilemma ◽  
The Commons

scholarly journals Attitudes, beliefs and readiness to act on climate change: A preregistered replication

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Williams ◽  
Bruce A Jaftha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
General Public ◽  
Human Influence ◽  
Commons Dilemma ◽  
Moderate Sample Size ◽  
Economic Barriers ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Taking Action

Despite segments of scepticism, the majority of the general public in most countries believe that climate change is occurring and caused by human activities. Behavioural changes by individuals can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least some extent, but a range of psychological and economic barriers can prevent individuals from taking action. A survey of New Zealanders by Aitken, Chapman and McClure (2011) reported that belief in human influence on climate change and the risks of climate change were positively correlated with the probability of taking action on climate change. Conversely, perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma were negatively related to the probability of taking action. Feeling powerless was associated with placing less importance on climate change as an influence on actions. Although Aitken et al’s study has been influential, it was exploratory in nature, had a moderate sample size, was not preregistered, and has not previously been replicated. In this study we report a preregistered replication with a sample of 352 Australians. We were able to reproduce each of the key findings stated above.

scholarly journals Changing Climate and Changing Behaviour: Perceptions of Powerlessness and the Commons Dilemma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Christopher Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Commons Dilemma ◽  
Barriers To Change ◽  
Knowledge Deficit ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

<p>Mitigating climate change is recognized as an increasingly urgent task that requires several different methods to achieve. Among these is the need to encourage voluntary behaviour change. Doing so necessitates an understanding of the barriers that prevent behaviour change, including those which are psychological. Among the psychological barriers to change are perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma. This thesis takes a mixed method approach to understand importance of these in relation to both each other and other barriers when taking action to mitigate climate change. Results indicate that individuals do not clearly distinguish climate change from general environmental problems and have a tendency to simplify the issues to that considered to be the singularly most important. Powerlessness and the commons dilemma had been evaluated but not extensively or as specifically applicable to climate change. Powerlessness and the commons dilemma were both found to relate to lower amounts of action on climate change and less importance placed upon climate change in actions. Perceived risk and human influence on climate change were the strongest predictors of action. Results generally support the knowledge-deficit model of behaviour change as being applicable to climate change.</p>

scholarly journals Changing Climate and Changing Behaviour: Perceptions of Powerlessness and the Commons Dilemma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Christopher Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Commons Dilemma ◽  
Barriers To Change ◽  
Knowledge Deficit ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

<p>Mitigating climate change is recognized as an increasingly urgent task that requires several different methods to achieve. Among these is the need to encourage voluntary behaviour change. Doing so necessitates an understanding of the barriers that prevent behaviour change, including those which are psychological. Among the psychological barriers to change are perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma. This thesis takes a mixed method approach to understand importance of these in relation to both each other and other barriers when taking action to mitigate climate change. Results indicate that individuals do not clearly distinguish climate change from general environmental problems and have a tendency to simplify the issues to that considered to be the singularly most important. Powerlessness and the commons dilemma had been evaluated but not extensively or as specifically applicable to climate change. Powerlessness and the commons dilemma were both found to relate to lower amounts of action on climate change and less importance placed upon climate change in actions. Perceived risk and human influence on climate change were the strongest predictors of action. Results generally support the knowledge-deficit model of behaviour change as being applicable to climate change.</p>

scholarly journals The climate commons dilemma: how can humanity solve the commons dilemma for the global climate commons?

2021 ◽  
Vol 164 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Li ◽  
David K. Sewell ◽  
Saam Saber ◽  
Daniel B. Shank ◽  
Yoshihisa Kashima
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Commons Dilemma ◽  
The Commons

The Effect of Incentives: Diffusion of Responsibility

2021 ◽  
pp. 166-182
Author(s):  
Jason Brennan ◽  
William English ◽  
John Hasnas ◽  
Peter Jaworski
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Collective Action Problem ◽  
P Diffusion ◽  
Perverse Incentives ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Diffusion Of Responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility refers to the problem that when something is everyone’s job, it in effect ends up being nobody’s job. This explains why many collective problems arise. People face perverse incentives to free ride on others’ actions and not to do their part. As a result, agents often think in short-term rather than long-term ways. Problems such as climate change can be modeled as instances of the tragedy of the commons, one form of a collective action problem that arises due to perverse incentives created by the diffusion of responsibility.

scholarly journals Return to the Isle of Ted: Simulating the Collective Action Problem of Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-555
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Sage Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Common Pool Resource ◽  
Global Inequality ◽  
Collective Action Problem ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Collective Action Problems ◽  
The Commons

ABSTRACTThis article modifies the classic “Isle of Ted” simulation to teach students about the collective action problems associated with climate change. Modifications include the introduction of a common-pool resource (i.e., fish) and increased pirate attacks to model rising climate threats and unequal distribution of risk. A return to the Isle of Ted enables a deeper engagement with specific collective action problems of climate change, including the tragedy of the commons and issues of global inequality. This article provides a road map for the incorporation of this modified simulation into active-learning classrooms.

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