Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation
Relational values emphasize the desirable characteristics of nature–society relationships. Unlike instrumental values, relational values have not yet been subjected to monetary quantification, although they may be relevant to environmental policymaking or climate change adaptation decisions which of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Ecosystems and People |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26395916.2024.2427809 |
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| author | Marco Nilgen Maximilian Nicolaus Burger Ivo Steimanis Björn Vollan |
| author_facet | Marco Nilgen Maximilian Nicolaus Burger Ivo Steimanis Björn Vollan |
| author_sort | Marco Nilgen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Relational values emphasize the desirable characteristics of nature–society relationships. Unlike instrumental values, relational values have not yet been subjected to monetary quantification, although they may be relevant to environmental policymaking or climate change adaptation decisions which often rely on cost–benefit approximations. This paper explores the quantification of relational values within a contingent valuation scenario both in monetary (one-time donation) and non-monetary terms (Likert-scale, ranking) as well as using a measure that elicits the desired allocation of government budget for adaptation. We conduct two surveys within the context of adaptation projects, aiming to protect the traditional lifestyles of atoll islanders on the Solomon Islands and coastal communities in Bangladesh. In these surveys, we employ two valuation scenarios – one with explicit mention of relational value losses, and one without. Information on relational losses led to no increases in monetary or non-monetary valuation but to a slightly higher allocation of government budget in Bangladesh. We further assess and discuss the validity of our measures, also accounting for respondents’ financial situation. Our findings suggest that emphasizing relational losses could significantly increase disaster management funding in Bangladesh, with a potential 55% budget increase based on our treatment effect. We further discuss the difficulties in quantifying relational values in a context with limited ability to pay and the importance of considering deliberative approaches for ensuring that all dimensions of human-nature relationships are adequately considered in adaptation policy decision-making. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-575693ac1d994ca4955e52a9750f203a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2639-5908 2639-5916 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosystems and People |
| spelling | doaj-art-575693ac1d994ca4955e52a9750f203a2025-08-20T02:29:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEcosystems and People2639-59082639-59162024-12-0120110.1080/26395916.2024.2427809Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptationMarco Nilgen0Maximilian Nicolaus Burger1Ivo Steimanis2Björn Vollan3Research Group for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, GermanyResearch Group for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, GermanyResearch Group for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, GermanyResearch Group for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, GermanyRelational values emphasize the desirable characteristics of nature–society relationships. Unlike instrumental values, relational values have not yet been subjected to monetary quantification, although they may be relevant to environmental policymaking or climate change adaptation decisions which often rely on cost–benefit approximations. This paper explores the quantification of relational values within a contingent valuation scenario both in monetary (one-time donation) and non-monetary terms (Likert-scale, ranking) as well as using a measure that elicits the desired allocation of government budget for adaptation. We conduct two surveys within the context of adaptation projects, aiming to protect the traditional lifestyles of atoll islanders on the Solomon Islands and coastal communities in Bangladesh. In these surveys, we employ two valuation scenarios – one with explicit mention of relational value losses, and one without. Information on relational losses led to no increases in monetary or non-monetary valuation but to a slightly higher allocation of government budget in Bangladesh. We further assess and discuss the validity of our measures, also accounting for respondents’ financial situation. Our findings suggest that emphasizing relational losses could significantly increase disaster management funding in Bangladesh, with a potential 55% budget increase based on our treatment effect. We further discuss the difficulties in quantifying relational values in a context with limited ability to pay and the importance of considering deliberative approaches for ensuring that all dimensions of human-nature relationships are adequately considered in adaptation policy decision-making.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26395916.2024.2427809Paula NovoContingent valuationrelational valuesmonetary valuationexperimentatoll ecosystems |
| spellingShingle | Marco Nilgen Maximilian Nicolaus Burger Ivo Steimanis Björn Vollan Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation Ecosystems and People Paula Novo Contingent valuation relational values monetary valuation experiment atoll ecosystems |
| title | Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| title_full | Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| title_fullStr | Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| title_short | Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| title_sort | pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation |
| topic | Paula Novo Contingent valuation relational values monetary valuation experiment atoll ecosystems |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26395916.2024.2427809 |
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