Strategic Environmental Awareness and Gender-Driven Policy

Promoting environmental awareness through policy is inherently complex, as it must account for human biological traits, gender differences, emotional factors, cognitive variability, and the unpredictability of behaviour. Nevertheless, in a well-educated society, fostering social awareness appears to be a valuable long-term approach. This chapter introduces a theoretical framework where a representative consumer selects between polluting and non-polluting goods in an international trade setting. It is assumed that the consumption of polluting goods results in a loss of utility due to environmental damage. The consumer’s choice is driven by their environmental awareness, which is shaped by government policies and differs across genders.