Carbon Dioxide Emissions: A Call for Equitable Distribution Grows, Even Among the Wealthy, as Per PI No 68/2025
A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at the University of Konstanz, in collaboration with the Paris School of Economics and the Center for Research on Social Inequalities at Sciences Po Paris, has uncovered a significant disparity in public perceptions about climate change, which the researchers have termed the "Carbon Perception Gap."
The study, titled "The carbon perception gap in actual and ideal carbon footprints across wealth groups," and published in Nature Communications, was co-authored by Dr. Julia E. Koller, a health psychologist at the University of Konstanz with a focus on perceptions and behavior in the context of societal crises, and Johanna Köchling, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Konstanz and a member of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior.
The Carbon Perception Gap refers to the gap between people's actual beliefs and concerns about climate change—including their support for climate action—and what they perceive others believe or feel. This gap manifests as an underestimation of how many people care about and support measures to reduce CO2 emissions and fight climate change.
The study surveyed over 1,300 participants in the Konstanzer Life Study, a long-term study on health and sustainable behavior that has been running since 2012. The results reveal a clear societal desire for change in CO2 emissions distribution.
Many individuals think fewer people are worried about climate change or willing to act than is actually the case. This misperception can discourage people from making personal changes or advocating for policy because they mistakenly believe they are in the minority.
The Carbon Perception Gap also affects self-image relating to CO2 emissions. People may not fully recognize their own potential to contribute to carbon reduction or how their actions compare to others, partly because of flawed social perceptions. For instance, people might think others are not trying hard enough to reduce emissions, while they themselves may be underestimating or unaware of their own carbon footprints.
Prof. Dr. Harald T. Schupp, another co-lead researcher, is a biopsychologist and head of the working group on General and Biological Psychology at the University of Konstanz. Prof. Dr. Britta Renner, a co-lead researcher of the study, is a health psychologist, co-spokesperson of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior at the University of Konstanz, and heads the working group on Psychological Diagnostics and Health Psychology.
The study's results provide crucial insights for climate political communication and measures, suggesting that addressing the perception gap in designing climate political measures could help them find broad support in the population. The richest ten percent of the world's population is estimated to be responsible for around half of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Closing this gap by increasing awareness of true public concern for climate action could enhance support for policy changes and motivate more people to reduce their CO2 emissions.
In summary, the Carbon Perception Gap is about the mismatch between people's real concerns and actions regarding CO2 emissions and the incorrect assumptions they have about the concern levels of others, which shapes both individual self-images and broader climate engagement. The study offers valuable insights into public opinion on climate change and could guide future climate policy and communication strategies.
- The study, published in Nature Communications, highlights the significance of environmental-science research in addressing the "Carbon Perception Gap," a mismatch between public beliefs and actions concerning CO2 emissions, particularly in relation to climate-change awareness.
- The findings of the study, led by University of Konstanz researchers, indicate that individuals working in health-and-wellness and science fields, including psychological disciplines, may play integral roles in bridging the Carbon Perception Gap and fostering greater public support for measures to combat climate change.
