Does the Climate Impact Satisfaction with Life? An Australian Spatial Study.

Abstract

It is now widely acknowledged that climate change will have a considerable impact on various aspects of human existence, and this includes happiness and satisfaction with life. This study adds to the existing literature on the contribution of climate to wellbeing by exploring the interaction of various climate variables at the national and local levels while controlling for socio-economic factors. Using climate data covering a 20-year period and demographic data from the Household Income Labour Dynamics in Australia surveys, several OLS models of interaction are developed to test the proposition that climate does influence life satisfaction. Geographically Weighted Regression is then applied to explore how the relationship between explanatory variables and life satisfaction varies across different regions of Australia. We find that overall rainfall, temperature, and sunshine have a small but significant effect on individual life satisfaction.The spatial analysis reveals a high level of non-stationarity in the way climate variables impact life satisfaction, suggesting that regional climate type may be an important element influencing the relationship. The understanding of this relationship may assist policy makers who develop resilience and adaptation strategies as we face the impacts of climate change.