Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Consumption

The research paper develops a methodology for scenario analysis of consumption-based GHG emissions, moving beyond traditional production-based accounting. It introduces a framework using a modified Kaya Identity to forecast emissions by analyzing population, consumption activity, and GHG intensity. The authors provide a catalogue of low-GHG behavioral measures across food, goods, services, construction, transport, and home energy. Piloting the method in Seattle and the U.S., the study finds that while aggressive behavioral shifts and production improvements can reduce consumption-based emissions by 47% by 2030, the resulting levels remain significantly above the global average required to limit warming to 2°C.

• Consumption-based GHG accounting reveals a significant difference from production-based accounting for most countries, with an average difference of 29% in cases where consumption-based emissions exceed production-based emissions.
• The proposed methodology for forecasting consumption activity uses a two-step process: first forecasting total consumer expenditures based on economic activity, and then using economic elasticities to convert spending into forecasts of functional units (e.g., kilograms of food).
• In Seattle, consumption-based emissions are estimated at 26 tons CO2e per resident, which is several times higher than the per capita emissions released from within the city's own boundaries.
• Baseline forecasts for Seattle suggest per capita consumption emissions will rise from 26 tCO2e in 2010 to 29 tCO2e by 2030, primarily driven by growth in expenditures on services and other goods as incomes increase.
• A mitigation scenario for Seattle involving aggressive behavioral and production shifts could reduce consumption-based emissions to 15 tCO2e per person by 2030, representing a 47% reduction from the baseline.
• Behavioral measures in Seattle, such as diet shifts and extended product lifespans, can reduce emissions by approximately 2.7 tCO2e/capita, or 10% of the average resident's consumption emissions.
• Despite aggressive mitigation, Seattle's projected 15 tCO2e per capita in 2030 remains far above the global average of approximately 1 tCO2e per person needed to limit warming to 2°C.
• Applying the methodology to the entire United States shows that consumption-based emissions in 2010 were 26 tCO2e per person, totaling 8.0 billion tons CO2e, which is about 17% higher than the U.S. production-based inventory of 6.8 billion tons CO2e.
• For the U.S. as a whole, the implementation of both production- and consumption-based mitigation measures could reduce consumption-based GHGs to 14 tCO2e per person by 2030, a 47% reduction from the baseline.

APA

Erickson, P., Chandler, C., & Lazarus, M. (2012). Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Consumption. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wp-2012-05-reducing-ghgs-consumption.pdf

Chicago

Erickson, Peter, Chelsea Chandler, and Michael Lazarus. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Consumption. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wp-2012-05-reducing-ghgs-consumption.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Erickson |first1=Peter |last2=Chandler |first2=Chelsea |last3=Lazarus |first3=Michael |title=Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Consumption |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=August 2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wp-2012-05-reducing-ghgs-consumption.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{erickson2012reducing, author = {Erickson, Peter and Chandler, Chelsea and Lazarus, Michael}, title = {{Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Consumption}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wp-2012-05-reducing-ghgs-consumption.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }