Governments can now track public anger at climate policies in real time

The World Bank has developed a new way to measure how people feel about climate policies, using news articles instead of surveys. It turns out, people like emissions trading schemes more than carbon taxes, and overall sentiment for both has improved over time.

Governments usually rely on expensive, slow surveys to gauge public opinion on new policies. This new method offers a cheap, fast way to see how people are reacting to policies as they unfold. This means governments can spot rising public opposition, like the Yellow Vest protests, much earlier and potentially adjust course.