Dietz Thomas, Frank Kenneth A, Whitley Cameron T, Kelly Jennifer, Kelly Rachel
Department of Sociology, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823;
Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823;
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jul 7;112(27):8254-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417806112. Epub 2015 Jun 15.
Starting at least in the 1970s, empirical work suggested that demographic (population) and economic (affluence) forces are the key drivers of anthropogenic stress on the environment. We evaluate the extent to which politics attenuates the effects of economic and demographic factors on environmental outcomes by examining variation in CO2 emissions across US states and within states over time. We find that demographic and economic forces can in part be offset by politics supportive of the environment--increases in emissions over time are lower in states that elect legislators with strong environmental records.
至少从20世纪70年代起，实证研究表明，人口结构（人口）和经济（富裕程度）因素是人为环境压力的关键驱动因素。我们通过考察美国各州之间以及各州内部随时间变化的二氧化碳排放差异，来评估政治因素在多大程度上减弱了经济和人口因素对环境结果的影响。我们发现，支持环保的政治因素能够部分抵消人口和经济因素的影响——在选举出有良好环保记录的立法者的州，随着时间推移排放量的增长较低。
