È professoressa straordinaria (Stiftungsprofessorin) di Economia Ambientale presso la Libera Università di Bolzano, dove dirige anche il Competence Centre for Sustainability. In precedenza è stata Assistant Professor presso la London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Inoltre, è Visiting Senior Fellow al Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (LSE) e al Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG) dell’Università di Cambridge, nonché ricercatrice ospite presso la Facoltà di Economia e Statistica dell’Università di Innsbruck. Ha conseguito il dottorato in Scienze Economiche presso la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Elisabeth Gsottbauer è un’economista ambientale applicata, che lavora all’intersezione tra scienze comportamentali, politiche di sostenibilità e metodologia sperimentale. Studia come individui, istituzioni e società prendono decisioni ambientali e come interventi basati su evidenze possano sostenere trasformazioni sostenibili eque ed efficaci. La sua ricerca abbraccia sistemi alimentari sostenibili, tutela della biodiversità e politiche climatiche – con un’attenzione particolare a ciò che funziona nella pratica e al perché.
Le sue ricerche sono state pubblicate su importanti riviste scientifiche, tra cui Nature Sustainability, Nature Communications Earth & Environment, The Economic Journal, PNAS Nexus e Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. Collabora regolarmente con istituzioni pubbliche (tra cui il Behavioural Insights Team UK e amministrazioni in Austria, Italia e Svezia), con partner del settore privato e con ONG ambientali per sviluppare e valutare politiche e interventi.
Keywords: Behavioral Economics, Environmental Economics, Experimental Economics, Public Economics, Policy Evaluation.
Conferenze pubbliche (selezione)
- "CO₂-Bepreisung zwischen Klimaschutz und Gerechtigkeit" — Public talk, Heimatpflegeverband, Bozen (November 2025).
- "Landwirtschaft im Wandel: Politische Maßnahmen und technologische Innovationen" — Keynote, Tagung der Bäuerinnen, Bozen (April 2025).
- "Nachhaltigkeit sichtbar machen: Ökonomische Aspekte von Berichterstattung und Reputation" — Public talk at Microgate GmbH / Confindustria event, Bozen (May 16, 2025).
- "Zwischen Freiwilligkeit, Moral und ökonomischen Anreizen: Was motiviert uns zum nachhaltigen Handeln?" — Public lecture, Kulturrunde Bruneck (March 2025).
- "Wirtschaftliche Aspekte von Klimaklagen" — Keynote, Klimaklagen und Klimagerechtigkeit, unibz (February 2025).
- "Behavioral Insights for Sustainable Behavior" — Lecture, SME 5.0 Doctoral Winter School, Bruneck (December 2024).
- "Ökonomie der Natur" — Keynote, Dachverband für Natur- und Umweltschutz Südtirol, Bozen (November 2024).
- "How to Promote More Sustainable Transport" — Keynote, STA Mobility Network Meeting, NOI Techpark, Bozen (October 2024).
Workshops (organizzazione, selezione)
- Second Edition, Workshop on Innovations for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, unibz Bruneck (April 2025).
- Konferenz: Klimaklagen und Klimagerechtigkeit — Co-organized with Klima Club Südtirol and Heimatpflegeverband, unibz Bozen (14 February 2025).
- First Edition, Workshop on Innovations for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, unibz Bruneck (September 2024).
Mostre / escursioni
- Visualizing Klimawandel — Exhibition on visual communication of climate change, unibz Library (Dec 2024 – Jan 2025).
- German Ecodesign Award Exhibition — Traveling exhibition, NOI Techpark (July–August 2024; June–July 2025).
- Excursion: "Vom Klima der Erdzeit zum heutigen Klimawandel" — GEOPARC Bletterbach, Action for Climate 2025 (October 2025).
Meda (selezione)
- "Das Klima-Paradoxon" — Interview, SWZ (August 2025).
- "CO₂-Emissionen: kompensieren oder reduzieren?" — Feature interview, Alpenverein Magazin Berge Erleben (September 2025).
- "Wer soll unsere Welt retten?" — Guest, unibz insight Podcast (July 2025).
- "Das reicht nicht." — Commentary, SWZ (30 August 2024).
- Podcast: In der Streitergasse (Salto, September 2024).
- RAI Südtirol — multiple TV & radio appearances (including biodiversity interview June 2025; Nachgeschaut – Der Monatslohn April 2025).
- "Die Grenzen von CO₂-Kompensationen" — Commentary, Die Presse (27 March 2023).
- "Mit einem Klima-Label zur nachhaltigen Ernährung" — Commentary, Die Presse (20 December 2021).
- "Sinnstiftende Arbeit oder höheres Gehalt?" — Co-authored commentary, Die Presse (1 August 2022).
Scienza e politica
- Lead Author, Second Austrian Climate Assessment Report 2024 (APCC).
- Expert, South Tyrol Citizens’ Climate Assembly & Climate Plan implementation (2024–ongoing).