Keith Smith

Socio-political dynamics of global environmental problems @ETH Zurich.

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

@IPEEP_eth @bernauereth @lfbeisermcgrath

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Policymakers in polluted cities often hold back on ambitious clean air policy, worried the public will resist costs or prioritise economic growth instead.

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Link to full article: https://t.co/HiOMkcKPDT

And the policy brief: https://t.co/STT7hUNUjx @IPEEP_eth @bernauereth

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

OA: https://t.co/gB6ynne2HX
Big thanks to my co-authors Florian Lichtin, Daniel Heimgartner, Kay Axhausen and @bernauereth for a great collaboration!

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

A lot of climate mitigation advice ignores a key constraint: will people actually do it?
In our new @ClimateActionSN paper, we use a neat “personalised scenario testing” tool and ask people to build a plan to cut their own emissions by 30% (Swiss sample, n=2,793).

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Policy takeaway: support the most accepted low-cost actions, make high-impact tech affordable for lower-income households, and don’t spend political capital on measures with little emissions payoff.

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Swiss and EU climate debates often focus on the loudest camps. But our data suggest the action is in the middle. Curious what others think: what design choices most change acceptability — revenue recycling, exemptions, phase-ins?

[swissinfo.ch @swissinfo_en]

In Europe the success of climate initiatives relies on a large “conditional middle” – voters who care about the climate but judge each proposal through a personal cost–benefit lens, a new study shows. https://t.co/SeTISH0ASz

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

@capableclimate @IPEEP_eth @bernauereth @AlessioLevis @Mp__bS @EIEEorg
@CmccClimate @T_Bouman @ProfJeroenBergh @ICTA_UAB @IvanVSavin @ESCP_bs

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Small swings amongst the conditional middle can have a big impact on what’s politically feasible. In a simple simulation, moving only the fence-sitting slice from neutral → support raises # of majority-backed policies across Europe from 4/15 to 10/15.

[Keith Smith @ekeith_smith]

Also, an article on these finding in ETH News : https://t.co/Dd4cQUb5nP

And a blog post on the @capableclimate website : https://t.co/toM5t5iCSb