Abstract
Support for addressing climate change and air pollution may depend on the type of information provided to the public. We conduct a discrete choice survey assessing preferences for combinations of electricity generation portfolios, electricity bills, and emissions reductions. We test how participants’ preferences change when emissions information is explicitly provided to them. We find that support for climate mitigation increases when mitigation is accompanied by improvements to air quality and human health. We estimate that an average respondent would accept an increase of 19%–27% in their electricity bill if shown information stating that either CO2 or SO2 emissions are reduced by 30%. Furthermore, an average respondent is willing to pay an increase of 30%–40% in electricity bills when shown information stating that both pollutants are reduced by 30% simultaneously. Our findings suggest that the type of emissions information provided to the public will affect their support for different electricity portfolios.
Highlights
Reducing emissions from electricity generation in the United States is imperative to mitigating climate change and improving air quality
Other research has shown that health information can be more salient than bill savings in motivating persistent reductions in energy consumption and garnering support for renewable portfolio standards [7, 8], that social co-benefits can increase support for climate mitigation [9], and that information on energy saving actions can crowd out support for climate change mitigation [10]
Effect of emissions information: Figure 2 shows the probability of support for different electricity generation portfolios relative to the current electricity portfolio in the US
Summary
Reducing emissions from electricity generation in the United States is imperative to mitigating climate change and improving air quality. Public reaction to poor air quality helped push for more stringent emissions regulations, while opposition to proposed low-carbon energy projects such as Cape Wind and the Shoreham nuclear power plant helped to stymie those projects [2–4]. Other forms of public support might include paying a premium for low-emissions electricity, accepting new renewable generation and accompanying transmission, or supporting low-carbon portfolio standards. Recent studies have explored public support for different clean energy technologies and policies. A 2012 survey evaluated Americans’ support for a clean energy standard, finding a willingness to pay of 13% in higher electricity bills for a policy targeting 80% clean energy by 2035 [5]. Other research has shown that health information can be more salient than bill savings in motivating persistent reductions in energy consumption and garnering support for renewable portfolio standards [7, 8], that social co-benefits can increase support for climate mitigation [9], and that information on energy saving actions can crowd out support for climate change mitigation [10]
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