People in archaeological countries around the world are ready to impose taxes on themselves to address climate change and reduce poverty.
This idea defies traditional political wisdom, which usually commits that people hate taxes. It appeared in a survey that included 40,680 people in 20 countries found strong Carbon tax support This would transfer wealth from the worst pollutants to people in developing countries. Most of them support such policies even if he takes money from their pocket.
Adrian Fabri, great author The study published in natureHe was not surprised by the results. He studies public positions towards climate policy at the International Center for Environment and Development Research in Paris, and he said this is The latest in a long series of studies It shows this Climate -related economic policies have more supportIn general, what people assume.
This study asked people about their feeling about the global carbon tax: the more the individual’s contribution to climate change, the more they pay. On the other hand, every person in the world will get about $ 30 per month. “People are with them Carbon fingerprint is greater than the average world “He will lose financially, and those who have a carbon imprint less than the global average will win,” Fabri said.
The survey included 12 high -income countries and eight countries “medium income” such as Mexico, India and Ukraine. The researchers wiped at least 1465 people in each country for several weeks in May 2024. Japan showed the highest support, supporting 94 percent of the respondents the idea of linking the policies that Fighting inequality and climate change.
However, the policy was less popular in the United States, where the average person is responsible for about 18 tons of carbon dioxide annually. About half of the Americans surveyed support the tax. (Three out of every 4 Biden voters supplied the idea. Among the Trump voters, only 26 percent did. In contrast, support rose to 75 percent throughout the European Union, where the emissions of each of the Capita are 10 tons.
This does not mean that such policies will remain common as soon as they age. Canada learned this lesson through its tax scheme and victory, which imposed a tax on fossil fuel and returned almost all of this money to captivity-which most of it ended with more money in more profits than they lost in front of the tax. People supported the plan when the government adopted it in 2019. But supported it sliding with the high fuel prices, and The government canceled it Earlier this year, amid pressure from voters and fossil fuel.
“What matters in the end is the actual objective benefits that people receive, but the perceived benefits they believe are receiving,” said Matto Meldenberger.
Meldenberger is studying political drivers of politics at the University of California Santa Barbara. In the case of Canada, the high prices that people in the gas pump were increasingly weighed in their minds than the opponent later they received – especially when opponents of this tax told them that they were losing money. “One of the most important factors in my mind that generates contact with these policies is to fill the interests group against it,” said Meldenberger.
He said that regardless of whether carbon pricing is the solution to climate problems in the world, the fact that people are more supportive of climate policies that fight poverty.
“Policies to reduce inequality are the political winner, and the integration of economic policy with climate policy will make climate policies more popular,” he said. “Public rewards policies that are similar to chewing gum and walking at the same time.” The question now is whether the governments are listening.
