Burden Sharing in Carbon Trading: Partner Country Selection and Public Support for Storing CO2 Abroad
2026-06-22
To limit climate change, emission reductions must be complemented by technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it permanently underground. As some countries lack sufficient geological storage capacity, cross-border CO2 transport and storage are gaining traction. Yet such cooperation raises political concerns about burden shifting and public acceptance. This study examines under what conditions citizens support exporting removed CO2 for storage abroad. Drawing on two survey-embedded experiments in Switzerland and the United Kingdom (N = 1,500 each), we show that support is higher when partner countries are democratic, pursue ambitious climate policies, locate storage sites away from residential areas, and enjoy domestic support for CO2 storage. By contrast, storage costs play a comparatively smaller role in shaping public support. These results highlight the importance of engaging in international climate cooperation in ways that are cost-effective but also socially and politically responsible.