Abstract This study examines how national culture shapes the income-driven adaptation to climate change. The area of how culture could explain cultural adaptability towards country-level climate change in the current literature is underexplored. Using the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework, this study investigates the influence of household lifestyle and consumption patterns on climate change adaptability across different cultural societies worldwide. Fifty-three countries were probed to determine how the cultural differences of each country define household consumption patterns linked to climate change adaptability. The findings show that cultural orientation does condition income-driven adaptability while controlling for clean energy transition and carbon intensity for institutions. This study integrates the EKC with climate adaptation, showing that non-sustainable income practices are motivated through cultural differences.
Abstract We empirically examine the impact of international climate finance transfers on recipient countries’ carbon emissions. We analyse the effect of mitigation and adaptation finance using emission data of 164 non-OECD countries from 2000 to 2017. We use a distributed lag model in first differences, a panel method that allows us to abstract from possible feedback from current emissions to future transfers. We address potential reverse causality while accounting for dynamic effects. We control for other factors that could be correlated with both climate finance flows and emissions. Contrary to expectations, we find that public mitigation finance tends to increase emissions, potentially due to some misreporting of development aid as climate finance. Public adaptation finance appears to drive an even greater increase in emissions. We explain this by the energy-intensive nature of adaptation measures. Transfers under the Clean Development Mechanism reduce emissions modestly after five years.
As sustainability challenges intensify globally, evaluating the environmental impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become increasingly important. Using panel data from 176 countries spanning 2003-2022, this study examines the influence of BRI on environmental sustainability using ecological footprint per capita (lnEF) as a comprehensive indicator and difference-in-differences (DiD) methodology. BRI participation leads to a 5 per cent increase in the lnEF among partner countries. Dual-channel analysis shows that renewable energy consumption mitigates ecological pressure, whereas information and communication technology development partially mediates the effects of BRI participation and environmental outcomes. Pronounced heterogeneity effects were observed for (i) countries joining between 2016 and 2019 (in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa), and (ii) countries in upper-middle- and high-income groups. Propensity score matching-DiD and robustness checks showed consistent findings. This study offers policy recommendations that emphasize environmental assessments, green technology support and international cooperation on sustainability.
Abstract The study investigates the effect of extreme heat on consumption inequality in India from 2014 to 2022. To capture local geographical and climatic diversity, the study examines the effect at the district level. We calculated a range of indices to measure extreme heat, including heatwaves, hot days and heat stress. We provided empirical evidence on the effect of extreme heat on inequality using two-way fixed-effects and generalised method of moments, and causal evidence using double machine learning. Results reveal that extreme heat increases inequality. Districts with high-temperature anomalies adapt to extreme heat, whereas those with low-temperature anomalies experience greater adverse effects. The study explores the agricultural channel and finds that districts with high agricultural intensity exhibit greater adaptation to extreme heat, whereas low-agricultural-intensity districts experience increased inequality due to extreme heat. Classifying districts by temperature anomalies and agricultural intensity is crucial for policies aimed at mitigating the impacts of extreme heat.
The link between climate change and gender is intricate, particularly in developing countries, where women are disproportionately affected due to lower adaptive capacity and economic opportunities. This study investigates the gendered economic impacts of climate change in South Africa using a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model. Results reveal that climate-induced shocks reduce productivity, labour demand and economic growth, leading to higher prices and reduced purchasing power. Female-headed households face greater poverty impacts than their male counterparts. These findings highlight the need for gender-responsive social protection policies that support women in vulnerable sectors such as agriculture and tourism. Targeted interventions such as combining compensatory transfers with investments in education, skills development and access to resilient livelihoods are essential to mitigate gender inequality and strengthen women's economic resilience in the face of climate change.
