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Quantifying the potential for consumer-oriented policy to reduce European and foreign carbon emissions

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  • Daniel Moran
  • Richard Wood
  • Edgar Hertwich
  • Kim Mattson
  • Joao F. D. Rodriguez
  • Karin Schanes
  • John Barrett

Abstract

The EU Carbon-CAP project assembled a comprehensive portfolio of consumer initiatives in order to assess the potential total impact of consumer options on national carbon footprints. Existing evaluations of behavioural change have focused primarily on direct energy reductions, typically in households and buildings. However, changes in consumer demand have deeper impacts via their upstream supply chains. The consumer behaviour options considered in the portfolio focus on green household initiatives. Combining existing micro-level studies with a multiregional input-output economic model, we estimated the potential efficacy and uptake of each behaviour across the European Union (EU). The results suggest that adopting these consumer options could reduce carbon footprints by approximately 25%. While 75% of this is delivered as reductions in emissions within Europe, one-quarter of the effect is delivered as a reduced imported carbon footprint, due to changes in the composition of imports.Key policy insights Consumer initiatives can have a big effect on embodied carbon imports, in addition to domestic impactsWe connect a portfolio of ∼90 green behaviour changes to a global supply chain database to model impacts holisticallyWe estimate that with reasonable levels of adoption green consumer actions can reduce the EU CO2 footprint by 25%A quarter of this effect is delivered in the form of reduced embodied emissions in imports

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Moran & Richard Wood & Edgar Hertwich & Kim Mattson & Joao F. D. Rodriguez & Karin Schanes & John Barrett, 2020. "Quantifying the potential for consumer-oriented policy to reduce European and foreign carbon emissions," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(S1), pages 28-38, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tcpoxx:v:20:y:2020:i:s1:p:s28-s38
    DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2018.1551186
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    9. I. Benöhr, 2023. "The Right to Water and Sustainable Consumption in EU Law," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 53-77, March.
    10. Janet Salem & Manfred Lenzen & Yasuhiko Hotta, 2021. "Are We Missing the Opportunity of Low-Carbon Lifestyles? International Climate Policy Commitments and Demand-Side Gaps," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    11. Andreas Andreou & Panagiotis Fragkos & Theofano Fotiou & Faidra Filippidou, 2022. "Assessing Lifestyle Transformations and Their Systemic Effects in Energy-System and Integrated Assessment Models: A Review of Current Methods and Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-24, July.
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    13. Jingwei Han & Zhixiong Tan & Maozhi Chen & Liang Zhao & Ling Yang & Siying Chen, 2022. "Carbon Footprint Research Based on Input–Output Model—A Global Scientometric Visualization Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-23, September.
    14. Long, Ruyin & Wang, Jiaqi & Chen, Hong & Li, Qianwen & Wu, Meifen & Tan-Soo, Jie-Sheng, 2023. "Applying multilevel structural equation modeling to energy-saving behavior: The interaction of individual- and city-level factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
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    16. Yang Zhimao, 2023. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Research on the influencing factors of living energy consumption and carbon emissions based on spatiotemporal model," Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 1-20, January.
    17. Ellen Matthies & Theresa de Paula Sieverding & Lukas Engel & Anke Blöbaum, 2023. "Simple and Smart: Investigating Two Heuristics That Guide the Intention to Engage in Different Climate-Change-Mitigation Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-27, April.
    18. Junyan Meng & Wei Xu, 2023. "Quantitative Evaluation of Carbon Reduction Policy Based on the Background of Global Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-14, October.
    19. Valentina Carfora & Giulia Buscicchio & Patrizia Catellani, 2021. "Integrating Personal and Pro-Environmental Motives to Explain Italian Women’s Purchase of Sustainable Clothing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    20. Starr, Jared & Nicolson, Craig & Ash, Michael & Markowitz, Ezra M. & Moran, Daniel, 2023. "Assessing U.S. consumers' carbon footprints reveals outsized impact of the top 1%," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    21. Karen Gorissen & Bert Weijters & Berre Deltomme, 2024. "Green versus Grey Framing: Exploring the Mechanism behind the Negative Footprint Illusion in Environmental Sustainability Assessments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-10, February.
    22. Fang Shen & Zibibula Simayi & Shengtian Yang & Yusuyunjiang Mamitimin & Xiaofen Zhang & Yunyi Zhang, 2023. "A Bibliometric Review of Household Carbon Footprint during 2000–2022," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-25, April.
    23. Cecilia Matasci & Marcel Gauch & Heinz Böni & Patrick Wäger, 2021. "The Influence of Consumer Behavior on Climate Change: The Case of Switzerland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-24, March.
    24. Hongxing Zhang & Shuanbao Li, 2023. "Research on the Factors Influencing CO 2 Emission Reduction in High-Energy-Consumption Industries under Carbon Peak," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    25. Karen Richardsen Moberg & Benjamin K. Sovacool & Alexandra Goritz & Gaëtan M. Hinojosa & Carlo Aall & Maria Nilsson, 2021. "Barriers, emotions, and motivational levers for lifestyle transformation in Norwegian household decarbonization pathways," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 1-25, March.

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