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

Author

Listed:
  • Jakob Enlund

    (Linnaeus University)

  • David Andersson

    (Chalmers University of Technology)

  • Fredrik Carlsson

    (University of Gothenburg)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Jakob Enlund & David Andersson & Fredrik Carlsson, 2023. "Individual Carbon Footprint Reduction: Evidence from Pro-environmental Users of a Carbon Calculator," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 86(3), pages 433-467, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:86:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10640-023-00800-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-023-00800-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Schleich, Joachim & Alsheimer, Sven, 2022. "How much are individuals willing to pay to offset their carbon footprint? The role of information disclosure and social norms," Working Papers "Sustainability and Innovation" S10/2022, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    2. Schleich, Joachim & Dütschke, Elisabeth & Kanberger, Elke & Ziegler, Andreas, 2024. "On the relationship between individual carbon literacy and carbon footprint components," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    3. Schleich, Joachim & Alsheimer, Sven, 2024. "The relationship between willingness to pay and carbon footprint knowledge: Are individuals willing to pay more to offset their carbon footprint if they learn about its size and distance to the 1.5 °C," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    4. Johannes Gessner & Wolfgang Habla & Ulrich J. Wagner, 2023. "Can Social Comparisons and Moral Appeals Induce a Modal Shift Towards Low-Emission Transport Modes?," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_451, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pro-environmental behavior; Carbon footprint; Consumer behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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