Quantifying the global and distributional aspects of American household carbon footprint
TL;DR: This paper analyzed the global and distributional aspects of American household carbon footprint and found that 30% of total US household CO 2 impact in 2004 occurred outside the US and that households vary considerably in their CO 2 responsibilities: at least a factor of ten difference exists between low and high-impact households.
About: This article is published in Ecological Economics.The article was published on 2008-06-15. It has received 496 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Household income & Carbon footprint.
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TL;DR: The cross-national expenditure elasticity for just CO2 corresponds remarkably well to the cross-sectional elasticities found within nations, suggesting a global relationship between expenditure and emissions that holds across several orders of magnitude difference.
Abstract: Processes causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefit humans by providing consumer goods and services. This benefit, and hence the responsibility for emissions, varies by purpose or consumption category and is unevenly distributed across and within countries. We quantify greenhouse gas emissions associated with the final consumption of goods and services for 73 nations and 14 aggregate world regions. We analyze the contribution of 8 categories: construction, shelter, food, clothing, mobility, manufactured products, services, and trade. National average per capita footprints vary from 1 tCO2e/y in African countries to ∼30t/y in Luxembourg and the United States. The expenditure elasticity is 0.57. The cross-national expenditure elasticity for just CO2, 0.81, corresponds remarkably well to the cross-sectional elasticities found within nations, suggesting a global relationship between expenditure and emissions that holds across several orders of magnitude difference. On the global level, 72% of greenhouse ...
1,421 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that dietary shift can be a more effective means of lowering an average household's food-related climate footprint than "buying local" and achieves more GHG reduction than buying all locally sourced food.
Abstract: Despite significant recent public concern and media attention to the environmental impacts of food, few studies in the United States have systematically compared the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with food production against long-distance distribution, aka “food-miles.” We find that although food is transported long distances in general (1640 km delivery and 6760 km life-cycle supply chain on average) the GHG emissions associated with food are dominated by the production phase, contributing 83% of the average U.S. household’s 8.1 t CO2e/yr footprint for food consumption. Transportation as a whole represents only 11% of life-cycle GHG emissions, and final delivery from producer to retail contributes only 4%. Different food groups exhibit a large range in GHG-intensity; on average, red meat is around 150% more GHG-intensive than chicken or fish. Thus, we suggest that dietary shift can be a more effective means of lowering an average household’s food-related climate footprint than “buy...
1,043 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an in-depth review of the most recent multi-region input-output models used for the purpose of consumption-based environmental accounting and conclude that further research is mainly needed in two areas, improving data availability and quality and improving the accuracy of MRIO modelling.
1,012 citations
Cites background from "Quantifying the global and distribu..."
...For the imported portion of the footprint, Weber and Matthews (2008b) show uncertainty bounds representing a rest-of-world group modelled with German technology with PPP exchange rates (lower) and Chinese technology with MER exchange rates (upper) (see also the section on uncertainty further below)....
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04 Apr 2009
TL;DR: This paper explores the use of personal ambient displays on mobile phones to give users feedback about sensed and self-reported transportation behaviors, and presents a working system for semi-automatically tracking transit activity and a visual design capable of engaging users in the goal of increasing green transportation.
Abstract: The greatest contributor of CO2 emissions in the average American household is personal transportation. Because transportation is inherently a mobile activity, mobile devices are well suited to sense and provide feedback about these activities. In this paper, we explore the use of personal ambient displays on mobile phones to give users feedback about sensed and self-reported transportation behaviors. We first present results from a set of formative studies exploring our respondents' existing transportation routines, willingness to engage in and maintain green transportation behavior, and reactions to early mobile phone "green" application design concepts. We then describe the results of a 3-week field study (N=13) of the UbiGreen Transportation Display prototype, a mobile phone application that semi-automatically senses and reveals information about transportation behavior. Our contributions include a working system for semi-automatically tracking transit activity, a visual design capable of engaging users in the goal of increasing green transportation, and the results of our studies, which have implications for the design of future green applications.
584 citations
Cites background from "Quantifying the global and distribu..."
...In this paper, we focus on the latter (personal transportation), the greatest individual contributor of CO2 emissions (26%) in the average American household [35]....
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...Researchers have identified three areas responsible for a majority of energy consumption in American households: home heating and cooling; shopping and eating (and the associated transportation of goods); and commuting, flying and other daily transportation activities [3,35]....
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...Finally, although carbon tracking is still an active form of research [35], a progress bar (or some other visual indicator) could be used to reveal total carbon emissions for the week....
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TL;DR: In this article, a socio-economically disaggregated framework for attributing CO2 emissions to people's high level functional needs is presented, based on a quasi-multi-regional input-output (QMRIO) model.
531 citations
Cites background or result from "Quantifying the global and distribu..."
...A notable exception is the findings in a US study in which healthcare accounted for a relatively high proportion of CO 2 (Weber and Matthews 2008)....
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...…upstream in the production of goods and services purchased by UK households (Bastianoni et al. 2004; Bin and Dowlatabadi 2005; Jackson and Papathanasopoulou 2008; Jackson et al. 2006; Munksgaard and Pedersen 2001; Nijdam et al. 2005; Peters and Hertwich 2006; Peters 2008; Weber and Matthews 2008)....
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References
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TL;DR: This informal consolidated text of the Kyoto Protocol incorporates the Amendment adopted at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties to Kyoto Protocol (Doha Amendment).
Abstract: ____________________________________________ *This informal consolidated text of the Kyoto Protocol incorporates the Amendment adopted at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (Doha Amendment). The Doha Amendment has not, as yet, entered into force. The informal consolidated text therefore has no official legal status and has been prepared by the secretariat solely to assist Parties. 1 KYOTO PROTOCOL TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE*
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Book•
30 Jun 2021TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an introduction to the subject for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in many scholarly fields, including economics, regional science, regional economics, city, regional and urban planning, environmental planning, public policy analysis and public management.
Abstract: This essential reference for students and scholars in the input-output research and applications community has been fully revised and updated to reflect important developments in the field. Expanded coverage includes construction and application of multiregional and interregional models, including international models and their application to global economic issues such as climate change and international trade; structural decomposition and path analysis; linkages and key sector identification and hypothetical extraction analysis; the connection of national income and product accounts to input-output accounts; supply and use tables for commodity-by-industry accounting and models; social accounting matrices; non-survey estimation techniques; and energy and environmental applications. Input-Output Analysis is an ideal introduction to the subject for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in many scholarly fields, including economics, regional science, regional economics, city, regional and urban planning, environmental planning, public policy analysis and public management.
3,676 citations
TL;DR: In each of its many forms it is related in a measurable way to some particular consumption or production process: the quantity of carbon monoxide released in the air bears, for example, a definite relationship to the amount of fuel burned by various types of automotive engines; discharge of polluted water into our streams and lakes is linked directly to the level of output of the steel, the paper, the textile and all the other water-using industries and its amount depends, in each instance, on the technological characteristics of the particular industry as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: POLLUTION is a by-product of regular economic activities. In each of its many forms it is related in a measurable way to some particular consumption or production process: The quantity of carbon monoxide released in the air bears, for example, a definite relationship to the amount of fuel burned by various types of automotive engines; the discharge of polluted water into our streams and lakes is linked directly to the level of output of the steel, the paper, the textile and all the other water-using industries and its amount depends, in each instance, on the technological characteristics of the particular industry.
1,794 citations
TL;DR: Using Monte‐Carlo simulations, it can be shown that uncertainties of input‐output– based life‐cycle assessments are often lower than truncation errors in even extensive, third‐order process analyses.
Abstract: Summary
Conventional process-analysis-type techniques for compiling life-cycle inventories suffer from a truncation error, which is caused by the omission of resource requirements or pollutant releases of higher-order upstream stages of the production process. The magnitude of this truncation error varies with the type of product or process considered, but can be on the order of 50%. One way to avoid such significant errors is to incorporate input-output analysis into the assessment framework, resulting in a hybrid life-cycle inventory method. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, it can be shown that uncertainties of input-output– based life-cycle assessments are often lower than truncation errors in even extensive, third-order process analyses.
708 citations
TL;DR: Turner et al. as mentioned in this paper presented a detailed review of single and multi-region input-output models used to assess environmental impacts of internationally traded goods and services, and identified six major models that employ multi-sector, multi-Region inputoutput analysis in order to calculate environmental impacts embodied in international trade.
678 citations