A new study by VISIONARY partners Kahsay Haile Zemo and Mette Termansen from the University of Copenhagen examines how climate change skepticism influences farmers’ perceptions of climate policy and their willingness to adopt mitigation measures. The research is based on a survey of 981 Danish farmers and has been published in Ecological Economics.

The study focuses on Denmark’s introduction of a CO₂e tax on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and investigates how farmers’ climate-related beliefs are associated with policy acceptance and behavioural responses. The results show that climate-skeptical farmers tend to overestimate the negative impacts of the tax, are more resistant to the policy, and are less likely to participate in climate initiatives or adopt mitigation measures. These patterns are particularly strong among livestock farmers.

The findings highlight the importance of climate-related beliefs for the design and implementation of effective agricultural climate policies. According to the authors, information and financial incentives alone may not be sufficient to address resistance, underlining the importance of trust-building and engagement approaches.

Read the full article here.