Editors introduction to the Handbook of Behavioral Economics and Climate Change

This chapter provides an introduction to the Handbook of Behavioral Economics and Climate Change by the editor. It explains the origin of the microbehavioural economics of climate change and its development. The literature is clarified against the other major traditions of climate change economics as well as behavioural economics in general: the integrated assessment and/or dynamic optimization model of climate change, the economics of fat tails, and the behavioural economics in finance. The scope of the Handbook is defined as broadly as possible to encompass all major behavioural decisions of importance to climate economics as well as a multiplicity of economic actors at various degrees of organization. The world's ecosystems and geopolitical regions are carefully represented vis-Ã -vis their major concerns: Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, North America, Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and small island nations. In its structure, it comprises six individual Parts. The editor's introduction in Part I is followed by Part II: Ocean-based Systems, Part III: Land-based Systems, and Part IV: Renewable Energy. The remaining two Parts give spotlights to an analysis of global climate policy negotiations with Part V: Global Climate Policy Negotiations and Part VI: Global Public Goods' Funds.