IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i7p6233-d1116143.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Greta Thunberg Effect on Climate Equity: A Worldwide Google Trend Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Franco Salerno

    (National Research Council, Institute of Polar Sciences, ISP-CNR, 20126 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

Public opinion can strongly affect public policy when it focuses on issues of particular importance. In the midst of a current climate crisis, influencing public opinion can be one path to push the adoption of climate policy. Here, the impact of major media events on the public interest/concern for climate change was analyzed. Google Trends has emerged as a valid proxy for evaluating change in the space of public attention, but it only becomes usable after the back-transformation in absolute frequencies proposed here. In 2019, due to the “Greta Thunberg effect”, the duty-bearers, for the first time, showed greater concern than the rights-holder countries, breaking the paradigm that the more vulnerable countries are more worried about climate change. High public demand was created for strong climate policies and other future public actions that must be implemented to avert the current climate crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Franco Salerno, 2023. "The Greta Thunberg Effect on Climate Equity: A Worldwide Google Trend Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:6233-:d:1116143
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/6233/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/6233/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carvalho, Luis, 2015. "An Improved Evaluation of Kolmogorovs Distribution," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 65(c03).
    2. George Halkos & Antonis Skouloudis & Chrisovalantis Malesios & Nikoleta Jones, 2020. "A Hierarchical Multilevel Approach in Assessing Factors Explaining Country-Level Climate Change Vulnerability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Heejin Han & Sang Wuk Ahn, 2020. "Youth Mobilization to Stop Global Climate Change: Narratives and Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Smriti Mallapaty, 2020. "How China could be carbon neutral by mid-century," Nature, Nature, vol. 586(7830), pages 482-483, October.
    5. Fred S. Lu & Mohammad W. Hattab & Cesar Leonardo Clemente & Matthew Biggerstaff & Mauricio Santillana, 2019. "Improved state-level influenza nowcasting in the United States leveraging Internet-based data and network approaches," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Arnott, James C. & Moser, Susanne C. & Goodrich, Kristen A., 2016. "Evaluation that counts: A review of climate change adaptation indicators & metrics using lessons from effective evaluation and science-practice interaction," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 383-392.
    7. Pollock Rufus, 2010. "Is Google the Next Microsoft: Competition, Welfare and Regulation in Online Search," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 9(4), pages 1-31, December.
    8. Tien Ming Lee & Ezra M. Markowitz & Peter D. Howe & Chia-Ying Ko & Anthony A. Leiserowitz, 2015. "Predictors of public climate change awareness and risk perception around the world," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(11), pages 1014-1020, November.
    9. W. P. Pauw & Richard J. T. Klein & Kennedy Mbeva & Adis Dzebo & Davide Cassanmagnago & Anna Rudloff, 2018. "Beyond headline mitigation numbers: we need more transparent and comparable NDCs to achieve the Paris Agreement on climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 23-29, March.
    10. Chathuri L. Jayasinghe & Panlop Zeephongsekul, 2017. "Non parametric hypothesis tests for comparing reliability functions," Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(8), pages 3698-3717, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gabriele Prati & Iana Tzankova & Cinzia Albanesi & Elvira Cicognani, 2022. "Longitudinal Predictors of Perceived Climate Change Importance and Worry among Italian Youths: A Machine Learning Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Sonia Martins Felix & Annette Lykknes & Ragnhild Lyngved Staberg, 2022. "Identifying the ‘Different we’s’ in Primary Teachers’ Education for Sustainable Development Discourse—A Positioning Theory Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Adrian Brügger & Moritz Gubler & Katharine Steentjes & Stuart B. Capstick, 2020. "Social Identity and Risk Perception Explain Participation in the Swiss Youth Climate Strikes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag & Philippe Burny & Ioan Banatean-Dunea & Dacinia Crina Petrescu, 2022. "How Climate Change Science Is Reflected in People’s Minds. A Cross-Country Study on People’s Perceptions of Climate Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-25, April.
    5. Abinash Bhattachan & Matthew D. Jurjonas & Priscilla R. Morris & Paul J. Taillie & Lindsey S. Smart & Ryan E. Emanuel & Erin L. Seekamp, 2019. "Linking residential saltwater intrusion risk perceptions to physical exposure of climate change impacts in rural coastal communities of North Carolina," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 97(3), pages 1277-1295, July.
    6. Ning Xiang & Limao Wang & Shuai Zhong & Chen Zheng & Bo Wang & Qiushi Qu, 2021. "How Does the World View China’s Carbon Policy? A Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    7. Olivier Boiral & Marie‐Christine Brotherton & Léo Rivaud & David Talbot, 2022. "Comparing the uncomparable? An investigation of car manufacturers' climate performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2213-2229, July.
    8. Guglielmo Zappalà, 2023. "Drought Exposure and Accuracy: Motivated Reasoning in Climate Change Beliefs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 85(3), pages 649-672, August.
    9. Idiano D'Adamo & Massimo Gastaldi & Ilhan Ozturk, 2023. "The sustainable development of mobility in the green transition: Renewable energy, local industrial chain, and battery recycling," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 840-852, April.
    10. Irawan, Chandra Ade & Jones, Dylan & Hofman, Peter S. & Zhang, Lina, 2023. "Integrated strategic energy mix and energy generation planning with multiple sustainability criteria and hierarchical stakeholders," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 308(2), pages 864-883.
    11. A. K. Enamul Haque & Heman D. Lohano & Pranab Mukhopadhyay & Mani Nepal & Fathimath Shafeeqa & Shamen P. Vidanage, 2019. "NDC pledges of South Asia: are the stakeholders onboard?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 237-244, July.
    12. Zhang, Zhonglian & Yang, Xiaohui & Li, Moxuan & Deng, Fuwei & Xiao, Riying & Mei, Linghao & Hu, Zecheng, 2023. "Optimal configuration of improved dynamic carbon neutral energy systems based on hybrid energy storage and market incentives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    13. Engelhardt Sebastian von & Freytag Andreas & Köllmann Volker, 2013. "Wettbewerbspolitischer Handlungsbedarf bei der Verknüpfung von zweiseitigen Märkten im Internet: Der Fall Google," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 62(3), pages 311-332, December.
    14. Dolata, Ulrich, 2014. "Märkte und Macht der Internetkonzerne: Konzentration - Konkurrenz - Innovationsstrategien," Research Contributions to Organizational Sociology and Innovation Studies, SOI Discussion Papers 2014-04, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Social Sciences, Department of Organizational Sociology and Innovation Studies.
    15. Can Askan Mavi & Nicolas Quérou, 2020. "Common pool resource management and risk perceptions," DEM Discussion Paper Series 20-25, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    16. Liang-Chu Ho & Yu-Hsien Sung & Chia-Chun Wu & Pei-Shan Lee & Wen-Bin Chiou, 2020. "Envisaging Mitigation Action Can Induce Lower Discounting toward Future Environmental Gains and Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-12, November.
    17. Zhixin Zhang & Min Chen & Teng Zhong & Rui Zhu & Zhen Qian & Fan Zhang & Yue Yang & Kai Zhang & Paolo Santi & Kaicun Wang & Yingxia Pu & Lixin Tian & Guonian Lü & Jinyue Yan, 2023. "Carbon mitigation potential afforded by rooftop photovoltaic in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. Douenne, Thomas & Fabre, Adrien, 2020. "French attitudes on climate change, carbon taxation and other climate policies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    19. Helena Fornwagner & Oliver P. Hauser, 2022. "Climate Action for (My) Children," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 81(1), pages 95-130, January.
    20. Andrew Bieler & Randolph Haluza-Delay & Ann Dale & Marcia Mckenzie, 2017. "A National Overview of Climate Change Education Policy: Policy Coherence between Subnational Climate and Education Policies in Canada (K-12)," Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, , vol. 11(2), pages 63-85, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:6233-:d:1116143. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.