Climate Change Needs Behavior Change: Making The Case For Behavioral Solutions To Reduce Global Warming

Generated Summary

This report, published by the Center for Behavior & the Environment at Rare, explores the critical role of behavior change in addressing climate change. The study employs a multi-faceted approach, examining various sectors including food, agriculture, transportation, and energy, to identify behavioral solutions with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The research is based on the framework of Drawdown, a comprehensive plan for reversing global warming, and focuses on 30 specific behavioral solutions. The methodology involves estimating the market potential and adoption trajectories of these solutions based on peer-reviewed data. The goal is to assess how much of the total emissions reduction potential can be achieved by promoting individual-level adoption of these solutions. The report emphasizes that successful climate change mitigation requires not only technological advancements and policy reforms, but also significant changes in human consumption patterns and everyday behaviors. The analysis underscores the importance of emotional appeals, social incentives, and choice architecture in designing effective interventions to facilitate these behavioral shifts and ultimately reduce global warming.

Key Findings & Statistics

• The fuel for global warming is GHG concentrations that reached record levels by the end of 2017. The global annual average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) was measured as more than 405 parts per million (ppm) in 2017.
• The record surpassed 400 ppm in 2016 for the first time in modern atmospheric measurements and in ice core records of the past 800,000 years.
• The 30 behavioral solutions identified in the report have the potential to mitigate 19.9-36.8% of global emissions between 2020 and 2050.
• The total emissions reduction potential of these solutions is 393 (Plausible Scenario) to 729 (Optimum Scenario) gigatons of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases (GtCO2-eq).
• Global food waste produces 4.4 GtCO2-eq per year, which is equivalent to 8 percent of total anthropogenic GHG emissions.
• Plant-rich diets could total around 1.5 GtCO2-eq per year by 2030, for a total of 66.1-87 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• The livestock sector’s emissions are estimated at 7.1 GtCO2-eq per year.
• The use of efficient cookstoves and fuels could potentially avoid 15.8-24.3 GtCO2-eq.
• Composting could reduce 2.3-3.6 GtCO2-eq in total by 2050.
• If global adoption expands from the current 351 million acres of land to 554 million acres by 2050, silvopasture could reduce emissions by 31.2-65 GtCO2-eq.
• By 2050, 424 million acres of abandoned farmland could be restored for a combined emissions reduction of 14.1-30.8 GtCO2-eq.
• Improved grazing could sequester one-half to three tons of carbon per acre, with a total solution potential of 16.3-27.9 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• Improved rice cultivation and SRI practices can reduce over 14-26.1 GtCO2-eq in total by 2050.
• Conservation agriculture can prevent up to 17.4 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• Adoption of electric vehicles could mitigate 10.8-52.4 GtCO2-eq by 2050 if the adoption rate of electric vehicles rises to 16 percent by 2050.
• By increasing carpooling from 10 percent to 15 percent can reduce 6.9-29.5 GtCO2-eq in total by 2050.
• If mass transit use increases to 40 percent by 2050, carbon emissions can be mitigated by 6.6-26.3 GtCO2-eq.
• If over 140 million business trips are made using telepresence instead of flying, this could result in 2.0-17.2 GtCO2-eq mitigated by 2050.
• If hybrid vehicles reach six percent of the market by 2050, the additional 350 million cars could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4-15.7 GtCO2-eq.
• If travel on electric bikes were to increase from 249 billion miles traveled in 2014 to 1.2 trillion miles per year by 2050, this solution could reduce 1-7.1 GtCO2-eq.
• There are estimates that rooftop solar could contribute 6.88 percent of total electricity generation worldwide by 2050, which is approximately 3,578 terawatt-hours, potentially avoiding 24.6-40.3 GtCO2-eq from 2020-2050.
• If solar water heaters are used by 25 percent of the market by 2050, they can help reduce emissions by 6.1-17.7 GtCO2-eq.
• Methane digesters can reduce 1.9-9.8 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• Residential LEDs can reduce emissions by 7.8-8.7 GtCO2-eq over this time period.
• Household water saving measures, such as low-flow showerheads and taps, alone they can prevent 4.6-6.3 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• Smart thermostats have the potential to reduce 2.6-5.8 GtCO2-eq.
• Household recycling can avoid 3.7-5.5 GtCO2-eq by 2050.
• If small wind turbines make up one percent of worldwide electricity generation by 2050, they can mitigate 0.2 GtCO2-eq.

Other Important Findings

• The report highlights that many solutions are beneficial not only in terms of their mitigation potential but also in terms of economics, human health, and well-being.
• The top solutions often require changes to human behavior.
• Two of Drawdown’s top 25 solutions are reduced food waste and plant-rich diets.
• The need to tackle emissions from the various sectors is well understood, and new technologies are generating opportunities for faster decarbonization.
• There is a need for significant changes to human consumption patterns, especially for activities that cause overconsumption of food, water, and natural resources.
• The climate benefits of changing behaviors are often delayed, mostly invisible, and require collective action to bring about.
• The report emphasizes the importance of emotional appeals, social incentives, and choice architecture in designing effective interventions to facilitate these behavioral shifts.
• If the world aims to follow through on limiting temperatures to 1.5 or below 2°C, behavioral solutions are incredibly important for achieving these goals.
• The use of social incentives and norms can be powerful motivators for behavior.
• The examples of campaigns that use emotional appeals can speed up the adoption of behaviors.
• Structuring the presentation and context of options such that eco-friendly choices are integrated within the other available options can improve their uptake.

Limitations Noted in the Document

• The report acknowledges that the climate benefits of changing behaviors are often delayed and mostly invisible, making it difficult to affect change.
• The effectiveness of interventions can vary across different demographics and political ideologies.
• The report acknowledges there is not a single unifying theory for designing effective interventions.

Conclusion

The central argument of this report is that solving the global climate change crisis hinges, in part, on our ability to change human behavior. The research underscores that while technological advancements and policy changes are vital, individual and community-level actions are essential to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The study emphasizes the critical role of various behavioral strategies, including those targeting food consumption, agricultural practices, transportation choices, and energy use, to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The analysis illustrates the substantial potential of these solutions, with estimates showing that large-scale adoption of the identified behaviors could lead to significant reductions in global emissions. The report highlights that the climate benefits of changing behaviors are often delayed, mostly invisible, and require collective action to bring about. The report stresses the importance of recognizing the complex interplay of factors, particularly the influence of emotions, social incentives, and choice architecture in shaping human behavior. It underscores that successful interventions must be tailored and designed to meet people where they are, creating environments that promote desired behaviors. The report concludes that a multi-pronged approach, which combines diverse strategies and recognizes the value of behavioral science, is critical for inspiring lasting change and for tackling the climate crisis. The authors advocate for further research and practical application of these behavioral tools to accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future, emphasizing the need for collaboration and collective action to realize the full potential of these solutions and to protect the planet’s natural resources.