Title: The Ancestral Roots of Environmental (In)Attention

Abstract:

This study investigates how the historical climatic experiences of previous generations influence contemporary perspectives on environmental matters. By analyzing data from various modern surveys alongside ethnic group-level cultural archives, we demonstrate that the severity of ancestral climate fluctuations exerts a lasting impact on how much weight individuals place on environmental factors during decision-making processes. This correlation follows a U-shaped pattern: descendants of populations that experienced either highly stable or highly volatile climates tend to assign greater significance to environmental issues, whereas those from groups with moderate climatic variability show lower prioritization. Aligning with the mechanism of cultural transmission, we observe a similar U-shaped distribution in environmental themes found within folklore and other cultural narratives.

We introduce a theoretical framework in which the allocation of environmental attention is a costly decision made prior to the realization of specific climate conditions. Through an evolutionary lens, the perceived stakes of these considerations are calibrated by realized gains and losses. Since attention is selected ex ante, the resulting selection pressure is broad, disciplining perceptions primarily through average payoffs associated with the particular climate distribution encountered by a group. This process generates distinct biases across different ethnicities. Furthermore, when environmental attention functions to both utilize typical conditions effectively and shield against extreme events, our model explains the observed U-shaped relationship between perceived stakes and ancestral climate anomalies.

Source: arXiv Generated at: 2026-06-04 00:00:00 UTC