Mitigation solutions are often evaluated in terms of costs and greenhouse gas reduction potentials, missing out on the consideration of direct effects on human well-being. Here, we systematically assess the mitigation potential of demand-side options categorized into avoid, shift and improve, and their human well-being links. We show that these options, bridging socio-behavioural, infrastructural and technological domains, can reduce counterfactual sectoral emissions by 40–80% in end-use sectors. Based on expert judgement and an extensive literature database, we evaluate 306 combinations of well-being outcomes and demand-side options, finding largely beneficial effects in improvement in well-being (79% positive, 18% neutral and 3% negative), even though we find low confidence on the social dimensions of well-being. Implementing such nuanced solutions is based axiomatically on an understanding of malleable rather than fixed preferences, and procedurally on changing infrastructures and choice architectures. Results demonstrate the high mitigation potential of demand-side mitigation options that are synergistic with well-being.
%0 Journal Article
%1 creutzig2021demandside
%A Creutzig, Felix
%A Niamir, Leila
%A Bai, Xuemei
%A Callaghan, Max
%A Cullen, Jonathan
%A D\'ıaz-José, Julio
%A Figueroa, Maria
%A Grubler, Arnulf
%A Lamb, William F.
%A Leip, Adrian
%A Masanet, Eric
%A Mata, Érika
%A Mattauch, Linus
%A Minx, Jan C.
%A Mirasgedis, Sebastian
%A Mulugetta, Yacob
%A Nugroho, Sudarmanto Budi
%A Pathak, Minal
%A Perkins, Patricia
%A Roy, Joyashree
%A de la Rue du Can, Stephane
%A Saheb, Yamina
%A Some, Shreya
%A Steg, Linda
%A Steinberger, Julia
%A Ürge-Vorsatz, Diana
%D 2021
%I Springer Science and Business Media LLC
%J Nature Climate Change
%K climate_policy demand-side_soluitions mobility well-being
%N 1
%P 36--46
%R 10.1038/s41558-021-01219-y
%T Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being
%U https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41558-021-01219-y
%V 12
%X Mitigation solutions are often evaluated in terms of costs and greenhouse gas reduction potentials, missing out on the consideration of direct effects on human well-being. Here, we systematically assess the mitigation potential of demand-side options categorized into avoid, shift and improve, and their human well-being links. We show that these options, bridging socio-behavioural, infrastructural and technological domains, can reduce counterfactual sectoral emissions by 40–80% in end-use sectors. Based on expert judgement and an extensive literature database, we evaluate 306 combinations of well-being outcomes and demand-side options, finding largely beneficial effects in improvement in well-being (79% positive, 18% neutral and 3% negative), even though we find low confidence on the social dimensions of well-being. Implementing such nuanced solutions is based axiomatically on an understanding of malleable rather than fixed preferences, and procedurally on changing infrastructures and choice architectures. Results demonstrate the high mitigation potential of demand-side mitigation options that are synergistic with well-being.
@article{creutzig2021demandside,
abstract = {Mitigation solutions are often evaluated in terms of costs and greenhouse gas reduction potentials, missing out on the consideration of direct effects on human well-being. Here, we systematically assess the mitigation potential of demand-side options categorized into avoid, shift and improve, and their human well-being links. We show that these options, bridging socio-behavioural, infrastructural and technological domains, can reduce counterfactual sectoral emissions by 40–80% in end-use sectors. Based on expert judgement and an extensive literature database, we evaluate 306 combinations of well-being outcomes and demand-side options, finding largely beneficial effects in improvement in well-being (79% positive, 18% neutral and 3% negative), even though we find low confidence on the social dimensions of well-being. Implementing such nuanced solutions is based axiomatically on an understanding of malleable rather than fixed preferences, and procedurally on changing infrastructures and choice architectures. Results demonstrate the high mitigation potential of demand-side mitigation options that are synergistic with well-being.},
added-at = {2022-04-04T23:12:18.000+0200},
author = {Creutzig, Felix and Niamir, Leila and Bai, Xuemei and Callaghan, Max and Cullen, Jonathan and D{\'{\i}}az-Jos{\'{e}}, Julio and Figueroa, Maria and Grubler, Arnulf and Lamb, William F. and Leip, Adrian and Masanet, Eric and Mata, {\'{E}}rika and Mattauch, Linus and Minx, Jan C. and Mirasgedis, Sebastian and Mulugetta, Yacob and Nugroho, Sudarmanto Budi and Pathak, Minal and Perkins, Patricia and Roy, Joyashree and de la Rue du Can, Stephane and Saheb, Yamina and Some, Shreya and Steg, Linda and Steinberger, Julia and Ürge-Vorsatz, Diana},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2f8f614deff0f494b7ab6d6ec24ecf532/meneteqel},
doi = {10.1038/s41558-021-01219-y},
interhash = {d1423c89fa80a24f590dd6a813aae734},
intrahash = {f8f614deff0f494b7ab6d6ec24ecf532},
journal = {Nature Climate Change},
keywords = {climate_policy demand-side_soluitions mobility well-being},
language = {en},
month = nov,
number = 1,
pages = {36--46},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}},
timestamp = {2022-04-04T23:12:18.000+0200},
title = {Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41558-021-01219-y},
volume = 12,
year = 2021
}