The Importance of Pro-Environmental Attitudes and How They Might be Modelled in Economics

A case is made for the importance of pro-environmental attitudes in the response to climate change. Reasons for the current (parlous)state of implementation of solutions to the climate crisis are discussed, and solutions including carbon taxes and Fee and Dividend (Feebates) are explored. A general framework for modelling pro-environmental attitudes is discussed, (based on the discrete choice framework of Brock and Durlauf, 2001) which describes the diffusion of pro-environmental attitudes through a population, not just in a single individual. Potential uses of the model are discussed, including the ability to describe the creation and evolution of social norms through society.