World-wide concern for global warming: a stochastic cusp catastrophe analysis

Abstract

Global warming is probably the most serious environmental problem facing the human kind. Understanding public concern regarding global warming is the key to create mitigation and adaptation policies. This paper aims at assessing worldwide concern for global warming. This research is the first to attempt to fit a stochastic cusp catastrophe model to estimate the influence of GDP per capita, CO2 emissions, objective environmental problems, post-materialistic tendencies, religiosity, and demographic factors on global warming concern. Results from 47 nations seem to contradict Inglehart's objective environmental problems hypothesis. Results also confirm the existence of a global warming Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). We also found that concern for global warming is driven by religiosity. The findings of this paper highlight the importance of using sophisticated non-linear dynamic techniques in determining factors influencing concern for global warming across the globe.