On Thinning Ice: Understanding the Knowledge, Concerns and Actions Towards Melting Polar Ice in Germany

Global climate change is causing rapid changes throughout the world, with particular effects being observed in the polar regions. Ice sheets in the polar region, in particular Antarctica, are becoming increasingly unstable. Just recently, a large portion of the Larsen C ice shelf broke off from Antarctica. These changes are directly attributed to climate change, and are expected have an impact on a far greater set of ecological systems throughout the world (Lenton et al. 2008). Currently, there is very limited social survey data aimed at understanding how Europeans view these events. For this project, we utilize a series of novel questions from the German ‘GESIS panel’, aimed at understanding the knowledge, concern and willingness to make behavioral changes in response to these changes to the polar ice sheet. Drawing on recent literature, we expect that Germans with greater subjective knowledge of polar ice melting will be more concerned about these changes and more likely to make behavioral changes (Kahan, 2012;2017, Hamilton 2012;2013). While these expected results may not be all that surprising from a social science perspective, they do run counter from a scientific perspective. That is, the largest expected changes to the polar region are not predicted to occur for thousands of years, and as such, individuals with greater knowledge could also be assumed to be less concerned about climate change, as these changes are not temporally prominent to the individual. This research consequently builds upon the extant literatures on climate change awareness and attitudes, as well as scientific literacy, environmental concern and cultural components of risk perceptions.