How Do We Move towards a Greener and Socially Equitable Future? Identifying the Trade-Offs of Accepted CO2 Pricing Revenues in Germany

Abstract

The world faces urgent sustainability challenges and international agreements call for policy change. CO2 pricing is an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allows us to find innovative ways to cover these emission sources, addressing environmental, economic, and social sustainability through the targeted use of revenues. In order to design a publicly acceptable pricing concept, this study empirically examines the public perceptions of CO2 pricing in Germany, preferred revenue recycling schemes, and socio-psychological differences following its national implementation. In a choice-based conjoint measurement, we simulated the interplay of influencing factors (revenue reinvestment, climate effects, and scale of action) in a comprehensible choice task (n = 1209). The results show that revenue reinvestment has the highest importance for the acceptance of CO2 pricing, followed by the climate effect, and confirm that the individual financial burden is a significant obstacle to achieving government climate goals. The findings help policymakers to understand the public’s motives and demands for accepted carbon pricing options, and support management recommendations for policy and governance to work towards a sustainable transformation. However, to achieve global sustainability outcomes, it is imperative that such studies are conducted worldwide, as comparisons with previous studies reveal local differences in needs and preferences.