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Abstract

Political science has used natural disasters to study whether voters are sensitive to
the environment. The complex nature of disasters, however, can present obstacles to
causal identification. In this study, we look at a uniquely and overtly human-caused
disaster—earthquakes from natural gas drilling in the Netherlands—to see whether
these disasters persuade citizens to vote more environmentally. We combine polling
station-level voting data with precisely calculated measures of earthquake impact, and
we find that pro-environmental party vote share is generally higher in affected locations.
These findings provide further support for the theory that environmental damage
strengthens the preference for green parties, a relationship that will only become more
important as human destruction of the environment worsens.