Individual Attitudes Towards Inter-generational Climate Justice

Anthropogenic climate change represents a significant intergenerational sustainability dilemma, where the patterns of individual consumption may (at the aggregate level) impact the well-being and sustainability of future generations. This is an impact that individuals are rarely aware of, as they tend to be subject to inter-temporal discounting. The aim of this study is to examine whether individuals are willing to sacrifice a portion of their present consumption to ensure sustainable climate conditions for future generations. Using randomized control trial embedded within the SCoAPP-10 international survey, we study how the respondents’ attitude towards their own consumption changes when they are treated with an information treatment that seeks to reduce the inter-temporal discounting of respondents, making them aware of the inter-generational consequences of their consumption choices.