The Misallocation of Climate Research Funding
Energy Research & Social Science 62 (April, 2020), 101349, pp. 1-13
13 Pages Posted: 27 Jan 2020
Indra Overland
NUPI - Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; NUPI - Norwegian Institute for International Affairs
Benjamin K. Sovacool
Science Policy Research Unit; Boston University - Department of Earth and Environment; Department of Business Technology & Development
Date Written: January 6, 2020
Abstract
The window of opportunity for mitigating climate change is narrow. Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require rapid and deep alteration of attitudes, norms, incentives, and politics. Some of the key climate-change and energy transition puzzles are therefore in the realm of the social sciences. However, these are precisely the fields that receive least funding for climate-related research. This article analyzes a new dataset of research grants from 333 donors around the world spanning 4.3 million awards with a cumulative value of USD 1.3 trillion from 1950 to 2021. Between 1990 and 2018, the natural and technical sciences received 770% more funding than the social sciences for research on issues related to climate change. Only 0.12% of all research funding was spent on the social science of climate mitigation.
Keywords: Climate mitigation, Research funding, Social sciences, Natural sciences
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Indra Overland
NUPI - Norwegian Institute of International Affairs ( email )
Oslo
Norway
NUPI - Norwegian Institute for International Affairs ( email )
Oslo
Norway
Benjamin K. Sovacool (Contact Author)
Science Policy Research Unit ( email )
Falmer, Brighton BN1 9SL
United Kingdom
HOME PAGE: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/373957
Boston University - Department of Earth and Environment ( email )
Boston, MA
United States
Department of Business Technology & Development ( email )
Nordre Ringgade 1
Aarhus C, DK-8000
Denmark
HOME PAGE: http://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/id(fca10105-c4eb-4f0f-99a7-a354a8a8a47a).html
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