Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices
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In: Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 14, No. 11, 114005, 11.2019.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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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 -