Attitudes of young scholars in Qingdao and Hamburg about climate changeand climate policy The role of culture for the explanation of differences

This article analyses differences in the attitudes related to climate change of young scholars in environmental science in Qingdao (China) and Hamburg (Germany). The main aim of the article is to evaluate the role of cultural differences for their explanation. We expect no significant differences in the attitudes related to the findings of climate research, since scientific principles are the joint basis of the scientific discourse wordwide. However, we expect that there are differences in the attitudes of the young scholars about the role of science, of the state and of the civil society for dealing with the challenge of climate change. We suggest that these can be explained with substantial cultural differences between both societies, with regard to the role of the state and the civil society for the solution of environmental problems. In order to evaluate these hypotheses, we have conducted a comparative survey among environmental science students in Qingdao (China) and Hamburg (Germany) about their attitudes towards climate change. The findings support our main hypotheses. The young scholars in Qingdao and Hamburg differ substantially in their views of the role of science in society and policymaking. Plausibly, these differences may mainly be explained with differences in the cultural ideas about the role of the state and of the civil society for the solution of environmental problems. Gradual differences in the share of young scholars who think that climate change has anthropogenic causes, may be explained with differences in the curriculum but also by cultural habits. This article makes a new contribution to the scientific debate by exploring the role of cultural differences for differences in the attitudes of young scholars in environmental science in connection with climate change and climate policy in different cultural contexts.

Role of Researcher/Academia in Making UK Low Carbon Policy

This study focuses on the role of researcher/academia in making low carbon policy in the UK. UK researchers and universities enjoy relatively high degree of independence of their research from the government due to its statute that guarantees its independence （＂The Haldene Principle＂）. In addition, there was a recent movement for evidence-based policy in the UK, which requires more economic and scientific robustness, therefore role of engineers and social scientists are increasingly important. In particular, social science will have a greater role in changing people＇s behavior with high level of uncertainty. UK businesses have played a leading role to move forward the climate policy such as UKETS （United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme） as well as low carbon policy. The regular communication and consultation is a crucial basis for making integrated policy, which involves wide range of stakeholders. The legally binding targets set out by Climate Change Act 2008 required structural change of the government to implement the necessary policies and measures especially by integrating climate and energy policy.