Calculating consumption impacts at the local level: a new approach in Umeå, Sweden

This case study describes a collaboration between the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Umeå municipality to estimate the climate footprint of local residents. Using a 2018 survey and national statistics, the project developed a tool to identify high-impact consumption areas and provide recommendations for promoting sustainable lifestyles.

• The project created a tool that combined 2018 resident survey data with national consumption categories, enabling Umeå municipality to compare local consumption-based emissions with national averages and update calculations with future surveys.
• Analysis of consumption patterns by age revealed that residents in their 20s consumed less meat and dairy and were more likely to be vegetarian than older groups, though they had a significantly higher carbon footprint regarding furniture, likely due to moving into new homes.
• There is a positive correlation between income levels and climate footprints, with higher-income residents consuming more clothing and red meat and taking more flights.

APA

Axelsson, K., Vanhuyse, F., & Dawkins, E. (2019). Calculating consumption impacts at the local level: a new approach in Umeå, Sweden. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sei-2019-p2cs-umea-local-footprint.pdf

Chicago

Axelsson, Katarina, Fedra Vanhuyse, and Elena Dawkins. Calculating consumption impacts at the local level: a new approach in Umeå, Sweden. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sei-2019-p2cs-umea-local-footprint.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Axelsson |first1=Katarina |last2=Vanhuyse |first2=Fedra |last3=Dawkins |first3=Elena |title=Calculating consumption impacts at the local level: a new approach in Umeå, Sweden |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sei-2019-p2cs-umea-local-footprint.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{axelsson2019calculating, author = {Axelsson, Katarina and Vanhuyse, Fedra and Dawkins, Elena}, title = {{Calculating consumption impacts at the local level: a new approach in Umeå, Sweden}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sei-2019-p2cs-umea-local-footprint.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }