HOPE
HOusehold Preferences for reducing greenhouse gas Emission in four European High Income Countries
Climate Policies of the European Union
The European Union has set ambitious goals to reduce current greenhouse gas emissions. The target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% until 2050. To reach this goal, emissions have to be reduced by 50% compared to the base year 1990. As private households in high income countries are responsible for about 50% of emissions, households are increasingly being included in climate policies. Integration of private households in climate policies implies that henceforth the focus will be set on consumer behavior. In order to better regulate consumption, more information on consumer behavior and readiness to contribute to climate protection needs to be aquired.
A pilot study conducted by TEC showed that around 50% of greenhouse gas emissions of high income European countries are produced by private households. Main sources of the emissions in everyday life are attributed to the following four domains:
- General consumption (e.g. electronic devices, clothing)
- Food (e.g. meat, vegetables)
- Transportation (e.g. use of a private car)
- Living Space (e.g. insulation of home, heating)
It is questionable whether these findings also apply to larger groups of participants and if they are valid transnationally across Europe. Therefore, it needs to be investigated:
- Which readiness households manifest and
- Which incentives on the political side are essential to promoting climate friendly behavior
For more information, go the project's website: HOPE