Household Preferences to Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Footprint: A Comparative Study from Four European Cities

Bore Sköld, Marta Baltruszewicz, Carlo Aall, Camilla Andersson, Alina Herrmann, Dorothee Amelung, Carine Barbier, Maria Nilsson, Sébastien Bruyère and Rainer Sauerborn
Additional contact information
Bore Sköld: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Marta Baltruszewicz: Western Norway Research Institute, 6856 Sogndal, Norway
Carlo Aall: Western Norway Research Institute, 6856 Sogndal, Norway
Camilla Andersson: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Alina Herrmann: Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Dorothee Amelung: School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey GU27XH, UK
Carine Barbier: Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement, 94736 Paris, France
Maria Nilsson: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Sébastien Bruyère: TEC Conseil, 13001 Marseille, France
Rainer Sauerborn: Institute of Public Health, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: This paper investigates households’ preferences to reduce their carbon footprint (CF) measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO 2 e). It assumes that a substantial CF reduction of households is essential to reach the 1.5 °C goal under the Paris Agreement. Data was collected in four mid-size cities in France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. Quantitative data was obtained from 308 households using a CF calculator based on a questionnaire, and a simulation game. The latter investigated households’ preferences when being confronted with the objective to reduce their CF by 50 percent by 2030 in a voluntary and forced scenario. Our results show that the greater the CO 2 e-reduction potential of a mitigation action, the less willing a household was to implement that action. Households preferred actions with moderate lifestyle changes foremost in the food sector. Voluntarily, households reached a 25% footprint reduction by 2030. To reach a substantial reduction of 50 percent, households needed to choose actions that meant considerable lifestyle changes, mainly related to mobility. Given our results, the 1.5 °C goal is unlikely to be realizable currently, unless households receive major policy support. Lastly, the strikingly similar preferences of households in the four European cities investigated seem to justify strong EU and international policies.

Keywords: Greenhouse gases; CO 2; emission; households; preferences; climate change; mitigation; Paris agreement; Europe; carbon footprint (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:11:p:4044-:d:180608

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