<div class="csl-bib-body">
<div class="csl-entry">Gimelli, T., Kalhorn, A. F., & Getzner, M. (2025, June 25). <i>Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide : Exploring Heterogeneity in Climate Policy Preferences and Pro-Environmental Behavior in Europe.</i> [Conference Presentation]. 2025 ISEE - Degrowth Annual Conference, Oslo, Norway.</div>
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dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/219137
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dc.description.abstract
The divide in support for climate policies between urban and rural areas has attracted growing attention in recent years, particularly considering movements like the Gilets Jaunes and the 2024 farmers’ protests across Europe. These events underscore a "rural resistance" to the socio-ecological transformation, rooted in material inequalities and diverging perspectives on climate change and its consequences. We investigate how awareness of climate change, attitudes toward adaptation, and pro-environmental behaviours differ based on people’s domicile.
Mountain regions are of particular interest because they are home to 17% of Europe’s population, and provide critical resources for a much wider population, downstream areas and ecosystems. Meanwhile, they face disproportionate impacts from climate change compared to lowlands. These dynamics raise important questions about fairness and procedural justice, as those who bear the costs of climate adaptation measures often differ from those who benefit from them.
Drawing on survey data we collected within the Horizon2020 MountResilience project, we analyse responses from over 3,200 households across six European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, Romania, and Switzerland). Respondents self-reported their place of residence in terms of population density (urban, semi-urban, or rural) and geography plains, hills, or mountains). They shared their views on climate change, adaptation, policy priorities, trust in institutions, feeling of representation, political orientation, and other socioeconomics. Using econometric models with varying specifications, we identify the key drivers of differences in climate awareness, adaptation attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours across different socio-physical spaces. The diversity of sociopolitical contexts helps differentiate between country-specific effects and generalizable results, increasing the robustness of the findings and testing previous results on attitudes towards European policies between Western and Eastern Europe.
Our findings inform policymakers and stakeholders working toward fairer, more inclusive climate policies. Preliminary findings suggest that rural and mountainous communities exhibit lower levels of trust in institutions, a feeling of misrepresentation, high protest voting shares, and higher resistance to climate policies compared to their urban counterparts.
By addressing urban-rural divides and ensuring a balance of interests, we contribute to a socio-ecological transformation that is both effective and equitable. By collecting empirical evidence from rural and mountainous communities, we address a gap in the literature overwhelmingly focusing on urban contexts and shed light on the "downside of sustainability transformations". The study also highlights opportunities for collaboration between urban-based climate initiatives and rural communities by identifying common interests and narratives, pushing back against reactionary discourses, and fostering shared solutions.
en
dc.description.sponsorship
European Commission
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dc.language.iso
en
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dc.subject
Environmental justice
en
dc.subject
Pro-Environmental Behaviours (PEB)
en
dc.subject
Urban-rural divide
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dc.title
Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide : Exploring Heterogeneity in Climate Policy Preferences and Pro-Environmental Behavior in Europe.
en
dc.type
Presentation
en
dc.type
Vortrag
de
dc.relation.grantno
MountResilience - 101112876 - GAP-101112876
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dc.rights.holder
TU Wien, Tommaso Gimelli
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dc.type.category
Conference Presentation
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tuw.project.title
Beschleunigung der transformativen Klimaanpassung für mehr Widerstandsfähigkeit in europäischen Bergregionen
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tuw.researchTopic.id
A2
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tuw.researchTopic.id
E4
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tuw.researchTopic.name
Urban and Regional Transformation
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tuw.researchTopic.name
Environmental Monitoring and Climate Adaptation
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tuw.researchTopic.value
70
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tuw.researchTopic.value
30
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tuw.publication.orgunit
E280-03 - Forschungsbereich Finanzwissenschaft und Infrastrukturpolitik
