A determination of the potential for behavioural and experimental economics to enhance climate change mitigation policy.

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The general consensus amongst scientists, world leaders, and the majority of the population is thatour climate is changing. The UN warned in 2018 that we only have 12 years to limit the climatechange catastrophe (IPCC, 2018), to cut the risk of extreme weather and poverty. Questions arebeing asked as to the best methods of tackling climate change, and given the ticking clock, it is vitalwe deliver the right answers.Environmental economists can tell us why international climate agreements often don't work. It isthe incentive each country has too free ride on the contributions other countries make to mitigateclimate change (Barrett, 2003). We are yet to see agreements unlike the Kyoto Protocol and theParis Agreement that are designed appropriately to induce countries to increase theirenvironmental efforts. Arguably, the key to finding a sustainable cooperative equilibrium is tointroduce behavioural 'nudges' into these agreements and use behavioural biases to our advantage.The concept of 'nudges' and the discipline behavioural economics was advanced notably by 2017Nobel Prize winner, Richard Thaler. Since we have evidence of behavioural biases undermining theeffectiveness of climate policy (Safarzynska, 2017), climate agreements must be incorporating thisas a matter of urgency. My research will provide foundations for this incorporation.