Granular insights into occupant behaviours and CO2 emissions in the UK

Abstract

Addressing global climate change necessitates a deep understanding of the sources of CO2 emissions, particularly at the individual level. While existing research has explored in depth the behavioural awareness of individual/household carbon emissions and its overall impacts, there remain significant research gaps in the understanding of how behavioural adjustments, influenced by individual factors, can be made to achieve carbon emission reductions under the current market mechanisms. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a detailed analysis of the carbon emissions associated with various activities of residents. Utilising the UK Time Use Survey, we applied path analysis and t-statistics to dissect how distinct occupant behaviours and their characteristics impact CO2 emissions. Our findings reveal age is a predominant driving factor in employment, studying, and media consumption, while gender significantly impacts household and care-related activities, and income levels influence emissions from hobbies and transportation. These insights highlight the importance of developing carbon reduction strategies that are developed on an individual behavioural basis to reach behavioural adjustments. Our analysis provides quartile results for different behaviours, aiding policymakers in devising carbon reduction strategies tailored to occupants' emissions profiles. Meanwhile, using scenario analysis, the policy has a carbon reduction potential ranging from 29.59% to 75.36%. Overall, our study offers empirical data and granular insights that can inform targeted interventions and policy formulations aimed at promoting carbon neutrality by focusing on the specific behaviours of individual occupants.