Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices

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Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices. / Kause, Astrid; Bruine de Bruin, Wandi; Millward-Hopkins, Joel et al.
In: Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 14, No. 11, 114005, 11.2019.

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Kause A, Bruine de Bruin W, Millward-Hopkins J, Olsson H. Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices. Environmental Research Letters. 2019 Nov;14(11):114005. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab465d

Bibtex

@article{54affae8c9d141feb01847ca7a25009b,
title = "Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices",
abstract = "Carbon footprints - the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumer food choices - substantially contribute to climate change. Life cycle analyses from climate and environmental sciences have identified effective rules for reducing these food-related GHG emissions, including eating seasonal produce and replacing dairy and red meat with plant-based products. In a national UK survey, we studied how many and which rules our participants generated for reducing GHG emissions of produce, dairy, and protein-rich products. We also asked participants to estimate GHG emission reductions associated with pre-selected rules, expressed in either grams or percentages. We found that participants generated few and relatively less effective rules, including ambiguous ones like 'Buy local'. Furthermore, participants' numerical estimates of pre-selected rules were less accurate when they assessed GHG emission reductions in grams rather than in percentages. Findings suggest a need for communicating fewer rules in percentages, for informing consumers about reducing food-related GHG emissions.",
keywords = "behavior change, carbon footprint, climate, communication, food, Sustainability sciences, Communication",
author = "Astrid Kause and {Bruine de Bruin}, Wandi and Joel Millward-Hopkins and Henrik Olsson",
year = "2019",
month = nov,
doi = "10.1088/1748-9326/ab465d",
language = "English",
volume = "14",
journal = "Environmental Research Letters",
issn = "1748-9318",
publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd",
number = "11",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices

AU - Kause, Astrid

AU - Bruine de Bruin, Wandi

AU - Millward-Hopkins, Joel

AU - Olsson, Henrik

PY - 2019/11

Y1 - 2019/11

N2 - Carbon footprints - the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumer food choices - substantially contribute to climate change. Life cycle analyses from climate and environmental sciences have identified effective rules for reducing these food-related GHG emissions, including eating seasonal produce and replacing dairy and red meat with plant-based products. In a national UK survey, we studied how many and which rules our participants generated for reducing GHG emissions of produce, dairy, and protein-rich products. We also asked participants to estimate GHG emission reductions associated with pre-selected rules, expressed in either grams or percentages. We found that participants generated few and relatively less effective rules, including ambiguous ones like 'Buy local'. Furthermore, participants' numerical estimates of pre-selected rules were less accurate when they assessed GHG emission reductions in grams rather than in percentages. Findings suggest a need for communicating fewer rules in percentages, for informing consumers about reducing food-related GHG emissions.

AB - Carbon footprints - the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumer food choices - substantially contribute to climate change. Life cycle analyses from climate and environmental sciences have identified effective rules for reducing these food-related GHG emissions, including eating seasonal produce and replacing dairy and red meat with plant-based products. In a national UK survey, we studied how many and which rules our participants generated for reducing GHG emissions of produce, dairy, and protein-rich products. We also asked participants to estimate GHG emission reductions associated with pre-selected rules, expressed in either grams or percentages. We found that participants generated few and relatively less effective rules, including ambiguous ones like 'Buy local'. Furthermore, participants' numerical estimates of pre-selected rules were less accurate when they assessed GHG emission reductions in grams rather than in percentages. Findings suggest a need for communicating fewer rules in percentages, for informing consumers about reducing food-related GHG emissions.

KW - behavior change

KW - carbon footprint

KW - climate

KW - communication

KW - food

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082728535&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ab465d

DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/ab465d

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85082728535

VL - 14

JO - Environmental Research Letters

JF - Environmental Research Letters

SN - 1748-9318

IS - 11

M1 - 114005

ER -

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