Individual Carbon Footprint Reduction: Evidence from Pro-environmental Users of a Carbon Calculator

Jakob Enlund, David Andersson () and Fredrik Carlsson
Additional contact information
David Andersson: Chalmers University of Technology

Environmental & Resource Economics, 2023, vol. 86, issue 3, No 5, 433-467

Abstract: Abstract We provide the first estimates of how pro-environmental consumers reduce their total carbon footprint using a carbon calculator that covers all financial transactions. We use data from Swedish users of a carbon calculator that includes weekly estimates of users’ consumption-based carbon-equivalent emissions based on detailed financial statements, official registers, and self-reported lifestyle factors. The calculator is designed to induce behavioral change and gives users detailed information about their footprint. By using a robust difference-in-differences analysis with staggered adoption of the calculator, we estimate that users decrease their carbon footprint by around 10% in the first few weeks, but over the next few weeks, the reduction fades. Further analysis suggests that the carbon footprint reduction is driven by a combination of a shift from high- to low-emitting consumption categories and a temporary decrease in overall spending, and not by changes in any specific consumption category.

Keywords: Pro-environmental behavior; Carbon footprint; Consumer behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 D91 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10640-023-00800-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
Working Paper: Individual Carbon Footprint Reduction: Evidence from Pro-environmental Users of a Carbon Calculator (2022)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:enreec:v:86:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10640-023-00800-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... al/journal/10640/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10640-023-00800-7

Access Statistics for this article

Environmental & Resource Economics is currently edited by Ian J. Bateman

More articles in Environmental & Resource Economics from Springer, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().