climate

The working paper “Fighting Climate Change: The Role of Norms, Preferences, and Moral Values” by briq and University of Bonn researchers Peter Andre, Teodora Boneva, Felix Chopra and Armin Falk has received the IRECC Award for “Innovative Research in the Economics of Climate Change” given by the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) for the two best IZA Discussion Papers published in 2021 on the nature and implications of climate change.

The award-winning research addresses the role of social norms, individual preferences, and moral views in fighting climate change. The key finding of this experimental study: Many people contribute little to climate protection because they underestimate the willingness of others to fight global warming. Providing information on prevalent climate norms raises support for climate-friendly policies, particularly among climate-change skeptics [read more].

The second paper selected for the award, “Temperature, Workplace Safety, and Labor Market Inequality” by Jisung Park, Nora Pankratz and Patrick Behrer, illustrates that rising temperatures increase the risk of work injuries at both outdoor and indoor workplaces. Since low-wage earners are disproportionately affected, this may also exacerbate income inequality. This is a prime example of unexpected secondary effects of climate change that deserve further investigation [read more].

Worth 10,000 euros, the newly established IRECC Award recognizes important new insights into the broader, often underestimated consequences of climate change and the effects of environmental policies on society and the labor market. The inaugural IRECC winners “represent the best of modern applied-economics research,” according to the award committee made up of Susana Ferreira (University of Georgia), Andrew Oswald (University of Warwick, IZA) and Hilmar Schneider (IZA).

Behavioral aspects and inequality consequences of climate change are an important part of the briq research agenda. In order to also make our own contribution to limiting global warming, we have reduced our carbon footprint and acquired climate certificates to offset our remaining greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, events, and business travel.

Academic research at an internationally oriented institute like briq strongly relies on the scholarly exchange of thoughts and ideas. Current COVID-19 restrictions aside, regular visits by guest researchers and conference participants from all over the world cause CO2 emissions that cannot be fully avoided.

By implementing a number of targeted measures, including the modernization of our heating and lighting, we have been able to substantially reduce briq’s carbon footprint over the past years. For domestic business trips that cannot be substituted by videoconferencing, the preferred mode of transport is the German railway, whose long-distance trains run on green energy. Employees at briq are incentivized to use public transport for the commute to work and will soon have the option to use job bikes as well. Catering for seminars, workshops, and conferences has been switched to vegetarian meals that can be produced with significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meats.

The remaining CO2 emissions stemming from briq’s business activities, as calculated for the year 2019 and certified by TÜV Rheinland, have been offset through investments in climate protection projects supported by the myclimate foundation. In line with our research focus, we have chosen to invest in projects that also contribute to a reduction of economic and social inequality. These include a project in Kenya enabling women through savings groups to afford an efficient cook stove which reduces the demand for firewood, as well as a project in Myanmar that combines mangrove restoration and women empowerment.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn global attention away from the climate crisis even though climate change will likely pose a far greater threat to humankind. Tackling this huge challenge requires a contribution by everyone, no matter how big or small. By achieving carbon neutrality at briq, we hope to set an example for others to follow suit,” says briq Director Armin Falk.