Chinese Public Awareness of Carbon Neutrality
学术
科学
2024-11-12 09:12
美国
The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) will take place from November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. China's ability to meet its carbon neutrality pledge will play a crucial role in fulfilling the Paris Agreement and boosting global confidence. Unlike the U.S. and the EU, which have windows of 43 and over 70 years respectively to reach carbon neutrality, China has only 30 years. Achieving carbon neutrality will require a comprehensive societal effort, involving broad, systemic changes. Effective social mobilization must be grounded in scientific research, yet global studies on Chinese public awareness of carbon neutrality have been lacking.To address this gap, Dr. Binbin Wang's team at Peking University's Institute for Carbon Neutrality recently collaborated with Dr.Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC); Danning Lu, YPCCC Affiliate Researcher and PhD student in development studies at Cornell University; and Jennifer Carman, Research Director at YPCCC. Together, they published a study in the SSCI journal Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, titled "Chinese Public Awareness, Support, and Confidence in China’s Carbon Neutrality Goal." The study shows that over half of the respondents have at least heard of China’s carbon neutrality goal, 99% support this goal, and 90% are confident that China can achieve it.![]()
Dr. Binbin Wang commented, "Given the challenging task of
achieving this in record time, China faces obvious difficulties. The good news
is that the Chinese government has established the '1+N' policy and action
framework and released guidelines for accelerating green transitions across
sectors. Achieving carbon neutrality requires action from everyone. Our study
focuses on understanding the public’s awareness, support, and confidence levels
to inform stakeholders, including policymakers, on how to advance this
goal."Awareness: Respondents in government, academia, and research institutions displayed above-average awareness of the carbon neutrality goal, while retirees, unemployed individuals, and those in agriculture showed lower awareness. Awareness levels correlated positively with education and income, with high-income and urban respondents, as well as middle-aged men, showing the highest awareness.![]()
Fig.1 Awareness of Carbon Neutrality Goal Support: Although groups like high school students, women, and agricultural workers showed lower awareness, their support for carbon neutrality was at or above the average. Support levels were particularly high among high school students, undergraduates, middle-income earners, urban residents, and government/academic professionals.![]()
Fig.2 Support for the Carbon Neutrality Goal Confidence: Confidence in achieving carbon neutrality was higher among respondents working in government, academia, and businesses, as well as students, high-income earners, and urban residents. Healthier individuals also showed higher confidence than those in poorer health.![]()
Fig.3 Confidence in China Achieving the Carbon Neutrality Goal 「Policy and Communication Recommendations」Targeted Mobilization: Middle-aged, urban residents working in government or research, especially those with a bachelor’s degree, show higher awareness, support, and confidence. They could be prioritized for mobilization efforts.Engagement of Women: Although women show lower awareness, their support is comparable to men’s. Increasing their awareness could make them strong advocates for carbon neutrality.Youth Outreach: Contrary to many studies, younger respondents (15-24) showed lower awareness and confidence. However, they are critical for the future of carbon neutrality and could benefit from targeted education on this topic.Supporting Middle-Income Earners: Middle-income respondents demonstrate high support and confidence; empowering them could increase their engagement in carbon-neutral actions.Outreach to Agricultural Workers: Awareness, support, and confidence are lower among agricultural workers. Given agriculture's emission share, targeted communication could encourage them to adopt emission-reducing practices.Health-Related Climate Communication: As climate change increasingly impacts health, raising awareness among less healthy populations could enhance their engagement in climate action.
The study was led by Dr. Binbin Wang of Peking University, with co-first author Danning Lu, YPCCC research affiliats, development studies PhD student at Cornell University. The research team included Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of YPCCC at Yale University, along with experts from China Communication University, CSM Media Research, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. This interdisciplinary team contributed insights from various perspectives.![]()
Dr. Binbin Wang and Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz have collaborated for over ten years, with their joint research findings included twice in China’s official white papers on climate change. Their work has been presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Doha (2012) and Bonn (2017). Key data from their research was cited by Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and included in official UN documents. Their 2017 joint research made a significant contribution to strengthening U.S.-China climate cooperation.Binbin Wang, Danning Lu, Jingli Xing, Anthony Leiserowitz, Jennifer Carman, Rui Chen & Mai Ding (2024) Chinese Public Awareness, Support, and Confidence in China’s Carbon Neutrality Goal, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 66:6, 25-36, DOI: 10.1080/00139157.2024.2395805
Yale Program on Climate Change
Communication (YPCCC)
官方网站：climatecommunication.yale.edu
新浪微博：@耶鲁大学气候变化传播项目
电子邮箱：climatechange@yale.edu
