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The impact of low-carbon consumption options on carbon footprints in the Nordic region

The impact of low-carbon consumption options on carbon footprints in the Nordic region


Title: The impact of low-carbon consumption options on carbon footprints in the Nordic region
Author: Olson, Sarah
Heinonen, Jukka
Ottelin, Juudit   orcid.org/0000-0003-0878-5108
Czepkiewicz, Michał   orcid.org/0000-0001-7079-1723
Árnadóttir, Áróra   orcid.org/0000-0002-2345-5919
Date: 2024-03-04
Language: English
Scope: 1-28
University/Institute: Háskóli Íslands
University of Iceland
School: Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI)
Department: Umhverfis- og byggingarverkfræðideild (HÍ)
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UI)
Series: Consumption and Society;2024
ISSN: 2752-8499
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/27528499Y2024D000000013
Subject: Loftslagsbreytingar; Sjálfbærni; Kolefnisspor; Neysluvenjur; Consumption-based carbon footprints; low-carbon consumption options; mitigation potential
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4770

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Citation:

Olson, S. C., Heinonen, J., Ottelin, J., Czepkiewicz, M., & Árnadóttir, Á. (2024). The impact of low-carbon consumption options on carbon footprints in the Nordic region. Consumption and Society (published online ahead of print 2024). Retrieved Mar 15, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1332/27528499Y2024D000000013

Abstract:

Changes in personal consumption play an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to stay within the 1.5-degree warming carbon footprint budget. Affluent countries have high carbon footprints from a consumptive perspective and therefore have a high potential to reduce emissions from personal consumption. To study this potential, we look at the consumption-based carbon footprints of respondents from a carbon footprint calculator survey from the Nordic countries to compare the carbon footprints of those who participated in selected low-carbon consumption options to those that did not. The total sample size of the survey is 8,000 households. We analysed seven low-carbon consumption options within the domains of diet, transportation and housing energy. An input-output based hybrid assessment model was used to calculate the consumption-based carbon footprints. In addition to analysing these options separately, we also analysed them in combination. The lowest carbon footprints were associated with those respondents who did not own a car or had a vegan or vegetarian diet, and the largest difference in emissions was associated with not flying and not owning a car. Rebound effects for the consumption options were largely limited and were mostly not significant. Participation rates in the low-carbon consumption options were generally low. These results underscore the need for higher rates of adopting multiple low-carbon consumption options and can inform policy on which consumption options could be the most impactful.

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