Climate justice orientation is linked to preferences for decarbonisation policy design

Joon, K., Celis, A.P., Seo, R., Hanger-Kopp, S., Patt, A.G., & Tröndle, T. (2026). Climate justice orientation is linked to preferences for decarbonisation policy design. Communications Earth & Environment 10.1038/s43247-026-03255-y.

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Abstract

Policy acceptance is one of the biggest hurdles to climate action and is heavily driven by people’s perceptions of fairness. Here we investigate which distributive justice principles people prefer and whether these distributive preferences are linked to policy preferences along three policy characteristics: stringency, redistribution, and instrument type. Using an online survey experiment ( N = 2, 230), we assess agreement with four justice principles relevant to the decarbonisation context - equal outcomes, sufficientarianism, limitarianism, and utilitarianism - and identify groups with distinct justice orientations. Using data from two choice experiments, we show that climate justice orientation is associated with distinct policy preferences, with most individuals supporting a combination of principles and being sensitive to redistribution in policy design. This study provides further evidence on the widely noted observation that justice is a key aspect in the public’s policy assessment. We suggest this justice orientation should be considered in both policymaking and policy-driven research.

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