HOPE

In the HOPE project we investigated what households in France, Germany, Norway and Sweden are willing to do to reduce their carbon footprint. Keeping in mind the international goal to keep global warming at 1,5°C, we even challenged households to half their carbon footprint. With a precise tool we first calculated households’ carbon footprints and then provided them up to 60 options to reduce it. Afterwards we interviewed households to identify the motivators and barriers to reduce emissions, including health aspects of more sustainable lifestyles. The household survey was accompanied by a policy analysis, evaluating current climate policies and their affect on households.

• With current policy support, households in those four European countries would at the maximum reduce their carbon footprint by 25%. Health seems to be a relevant motivator for households to consider sustainable lifestyle options. However, many barriers still prevent households from substantial carbon footprint reductions. Climate policy-making has to be more focused on promoting lifestyle and consumption-changes, also implementing regulative policy instruments like carbon taxes.

• Households were most willing to reduce emissionsin the food and recycling sector. Households even wished for stronger regulations for industry to make it easier for them to buy food with less or greener packaging.

• Households found it most difficult to reduce emissionsin the mobility sector (esp. car and plane use). Alongside policies supporting sustainable mobility choices, a whole new public discourse about mobility is needed to substantially reduce emissions in this sector.