About the research

The Nordic countries are held as green due to their low-carbon energy systems. However, their global climate impacts are among the highest when the emissions are allocated based on consumption, particularly that of the urban residents.

In this project the carbon footprints (CF) of Nordic urban dwellers are calculated using the consumption-based method, which allocates to the users all the global production chain emissions of all the goods and services they consume. The assessment employs the input-output approach, and the CFs are connected to the remaining global carbon budget for halting global warming to 1.5 degrees. It is studied how pro-environmental attitudes are reflected in the CFs; ultimately if 1.5 degree compatible living is possible for affluent urban dwellers in the Nordic countries, and how to stay on the 1.5 degree compatible mitigation pathway towards zero carbon living. The studied samples of urban residents are recruited with letter invitations to participate to diary keeping utilizing an online softGIS survey. The softGIS method enables combining traditional survey questions, diary keeping of purchases, and mapping of activities, visited locations and transport modes.

There are three key novelty features in this study:

1. No single consumption-based CF study so far has included attitudinal variables
2. The data for CF studies have never been collected using the softGIS method
3. No study exists having looked into the carbon budgets on sub-national scales

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