Conference Agenda

Legal scholars are discussing the idea of giving nature its own rights. However, this will only happen if the population accepts such rights in principle. To explore this principle we turn the thought experiment known as “The Last Man Argument” into an actual survey experiment. We ask a representative sample of the German population to imagine they are the last human alive and might enjoy destroying the only remaining oak tree. Using a between subject design each parti cipant only experiencing one treatment ––, we vary the motives for doing so (and in one treatment we vary the object of destruction). This thought experiment is unique in removing all possible extrinsic motives for preserving nature, thus providing clean evidence for humans belief in nature’s intrinsic value, making a case for nature’s rights. Most men, and considerably more women, refrain from destroying the oak. This gender difference only disappears when the scenario concerns the destruction of the Brandenburg Gate, a German landmark. Ecofeminist theory suggests that the gendered socialization process explains the difference .

Based on data from a large-scale computer-based survey among more than 2400 citizens, this paper empirically examines environmental values in Japan and especially their relationship to personality traits. Our indicators for environmental values are based on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), which is a standard instrument in social and behavioral sciences and also increasingly common in economic studies. The descriptive statistics reveal that the extent of environmental values in Japan is not very different to the corresponding extent in other Western countries with different culture such as the USA or Germany. Our econometric analysis shows that some individual characteristics like age, political orientation, and several economic preferences (i.e. risk preferences, trust, and reciprocity) are significantly correlated with the NEP scales, which is mostly in line with previous analyses for Germany. The most important estimation results refer to personality traits that have not been considered as determinants for environmental values so far: While conscientiousness and (less robust) agreeableness have a significantly negative effect, neuroticism has a significantly positive effect on environmental values. These estimation results strongly reveal an interrelationship between environmental values and personality traits and suggest that the relationship between environmental values and environmentally relevant behavior might not only be influenced by economic preferences, but also by stable personality traits.

Unpacking people’s self-rated life satisfaction to price environmental public

goods is crucial to inform well-being-improving decisions. Yet, previous contri-

butions yield inconsistent estimates of the income-life satisfaction conversion rate,

leading to an overvaluation of non-market environmental goods. We develop a two-

step life satisfaction valuation framework that makes causal inference possible to

recover valid shadow prices for environmental goods. Using restricted georeferenced

longitudinal survey data on life satisfaction across German counties over 2008-2017,

we estimate a weighted local life satisfaction measure to quantify shadow prices

for environmental goods. Exploiting differentials local exposure to labor demand

shocks across industries, we identify the causal effect of income in a shift-share in-

strumental variable setting and derive shadow prices for protected areas of around

2.6 EUR per month/m2, and 0.20 EUR per month/m2 for open space. From the

estimated shadow prices, we construct a set of isovalue curves for protected ar-

eas and open space and characterize the well-being implications arising from their

cross-effects.

We surveyed economics and finance professionals on the transition to a low-carbon economy, assessing risks, opportunities, and stakeholder responsibilities. Findings reveal that respondents view the transition as an opportunity for the financial sector, with modest increase in banking risks. Most respondents agreed that governments hold primary responsibility for climate mitigation policies, with carbon tax as the favored solution. Additionally, respondents perceived the COVID-19 to have a neutral or positive impact on the transition, while the Ukraine war a strong negative impact. Notably, opinions differ based on environmental awareness and professional roles, with environmentally conscious individuals expressing more optimism.