Low-carbon Behavior Research Articles

Modeling the low-carbon behaviors’ development paths of freight enterprises based on a survey in Zhejiang, China

• Extreme value theory was used to model the low-carbon's development path. • Enterprises in low-GDP regions are more likely to adopt new low-carbon behaviors. • Enterprises in high-GDP regions may stop exploring new low-carbon behaviors. Improving freight enterprises’ low-carbon behaviors is a significant measure in reducing carbon emissions and thus promoting cities’ sustainable development. This paper aimed at modeling how various freight enterprises’ low-carbon behaviors vary with their development. A province-wide investigation of 980 freight enterprises was conducted, then the K-means clustering method and Extreme value theory (EVT) mode were adopted to identify the low-carbon development paths of freight enterprises. The results show that: a) freight enterprises with short-distance freight transportation in low-GDP areas have the lowest low-carbon degree (LCD), but they have the highest probability to adopt low-carbon behaviors when LCD>30.37; b) freight enterprises in high-GDP regions have the lowest willingness to adopt low-carbon behaviors when the development degree is higher than 201.5. The findings help to understand the low-carbon development path of freight enterprises at different stages, and it's useful for government to accurately adopt low-carbon development measures in road freight transportation.

How does the design of personal carbon trading system affect willingness to participate under carbon neutrality goal?-evidence from a choice experiment.

In order to achieve the emission peak and carbon neutrality ("30·60" goals), personal carbon trading may be included in China's carbon trading market in the future, based on the corporate-level carbon trading that is already in place. It will be an effective solution to reduce carbon emissions from the consumption side and can be used as a supplement to the corporate carbon trading mechanism and carbon tax. This study constructs a personal carbon trading system based on the fundamental realities of China, which includes four attributes: carbon quota acquisition, trading partner selection, low-carbon behavior offset mechanism, and value preservation mode. Through questionnaire survey and choice experiment, the logit model is used to analyze the influence of the four attributes upon the individual willingness to participate in personal carbon trading and the heterogeneity of the public on personal carbon trading in the context of carbon neutrality policy. The study found that the influence of the attributes on the willingness to participate was ranked as follows: carbon quota acquisition > value preservation mode > low-carbon behavior offset mechanism > trading partner selection. The level of knowledge about carbon neutrality and salary will have a significant positive impact on the attribute-level preference of personal carbon trading. Finally, suggestions are made for designing, applying, and promoting personal carbon trading mechanisms to improve the public's willingness to participate in personal carbon trading and perfect the construction of carbon trading systems at the consumption side. The take-home message of the study is that a well-established personal carbon trading mechanism is an effective solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Promotion Strategy of Low-Carbon Consumption of Fresh Food Based on Willingness Behavior

The research on the influencing factors of residents’ low-carbon consumption willingness and low-carbon consumption behavior of fresh food has certain practical guiding significance. Existing studies have analyzed the low-carbon consumption willingness, but the factors considered are not comprehensive and the degree of fit needs to be improved. Therefore, this paper starts with 37 variables from six aspects: demographic factors, psychological factors, low-carbon related knowledge, external factors, policy norms, and product factors. The binary logistic model is used to carry out regression analysis on low-carbon consumption willingness and low-carbon consumption behavior, and the fitting degree is higher and reaches about 90%. The regression results show that sense of responsibility, government tax, low-carbon product quality, and low-carbon product price have a significant impact on residents’ low-carbon consumption willingness. Whether there are fake and shoddy products in the market and whether the products are really of low carbon have a significant impact on low-carbon consumption behavior. Finally, starting from the three subjects of government, enterprises, and residents, this paper puts forward targeted suggestions to improve residents’ low-carbon consumption willingness and promote residents’ low-carbon consumption behavior, in order to promote low-carbon consumption.

Identifying the influence factors of residents’ low-carbon behavior under the background of “Carbon Neutrality”: An empirical study of Qingdao city, China

In order to better guide the residents’ energy consumption behavior to low-carbon transformation and promote the realization of the “carbon neutrality” goal in China. This study adopts the theory of planned behavior and establishes a theoretical model to study residents’ low-carbon behavior (LCB) and its influencing factors. The 872 valid questionnaires were collected from the residents in Qingdao City to obtain the basic data, and the established theoretical model was empirically tested by using the structural equation model. It can be seen from the results that the “carbon neutrality” behavior intention (CBI) of residents is the most direct psychological motivation leading to their implementation of LCB (effect value = 0.662), and has a high intensity of relationship with all behavioral dimensions. Residents’ subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and environmental values indirectly drive their behaviors through influencing their CBI, and perceived behavioral control has the greatest effect (effect value = 0.325). Besides, the transformation process of residents’ CBI to LCB is positively regulated by the perception of energy prices and energy-efficient products economy. From the mean value of the latent variables, it can be concluded that the living environment, income, and education level have a significant impact on the LCB of residents. However, the effect of age and gender on LCB is not significant. Based on the results, this study puts forward some effective suggestions to improve the LCB of Qingdao residents.

Exploring the Moral Challenges of Confronting High-Carbon-Emitting Behavior: The Role of Emotions and Media Coverage

In this article, we address the climate crisis as a moral issue and discuss the relevant moral and emotional processes and the role of the media underlying the motivations of individuals to behave in a less carbon-emitting manner. We provide theoretical insights from social psychology and emotion research and empirical data based on an online survey from Germany (N = 979). In the theoretical part, we outline the role of emotions in influencing carbon-related behavior, with a particular focus on self-condemning (e.g., guilt or shame), self-praising (e.g., pride), or other-suffering emotions (e.g., empathy). We further summarize the reasons for the low influence of the media on carbon-related behavior compared to the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical results confirm that participants reported other- suffering and self-condemning emotions in response to news content and rated their likelihood of personal behavior change as high when confronted with news about the climate crisis on a daily basis, as has been widely the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that the media is responsible for regularly reporting on the victims of the climate crisis in order to generalize self-condemning and other-suffering emotions into affective attitudes. Opinion leaders can function as role models for low-carbon behavior.

The Effects of Executives' low-carbon cognition on corporate low-carbon performance: A study of managerial discretion in China

Corporations are recognized as key agents for low-carbon economy development. Executives' low-carbon cognition may function as an important driver for corporations' low-carbon performance. Yet, the extant literature has paid limited attention to executives' low-carbon cognition and firms’ performance. Based on the upper echelons theory, this study empirically explored this mechanism by sampling corporations (N = 418) from the high-tech and manufacturing industries in China. Specifically, we examined the impact of executives' low-carbon cognition on corporate low-carbon management performance (CLMP) and corporate low-carbon financial performance (CLFP), while exploring the intermediary role of managerial discretion between executives' low-carbon cognition and low-carbon behavior. We observed that: (1) Executives' low-carbon cognition indirectly affects CLMP and CLFP, and corporate low-carbon behavior plays an intermediary role in this process; (2) Managerial discretion positively regulates the relationship between executives' low-carbon cognition and low-carbon behavior; (3) Managerial discretion positively regulates the intermediary role of low-carbon behavior between executives' low-carbon cognition on CLMP and CLFP. Theoretically, the present study deepens the strand of empirical studies on executives' low-carbon cognition and corporate low-carbon performance. Moreover, the study builds a rigorous foundation for the application of the higher-order and the corporation behavior theories in low-carbon research fields. Further, the study serves as a mine of reference for future related studies on low-carbon performance while providing practical enlightenment for low-carbon management.

How Does Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership Fuel Employees' Low-Carbon Behavior? The Role of Environmental Self-Accountability and Power Distance Orientation.

Environmental problems caused by excessive carbon emissions are becoming increasingly prominent and have received heightened attention in recent years. Encouraging people to adopt low-carbon behavior to reduce carbon emissions is desirable. Based on social learning theory, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model to investigate when and how environmentally specific servant (ESS) leadership impacts employees’ low-carbon behavior (i.e., private low-carbon behavior and public low-carbon behavior). We tested our theoretical framework with a sample of 483 subordinates and their direct supervisors working in northern China. The results indicate that ESS leadership is positively related to employees’ low-carbon behavior, and that environmental self-accountability plays a mediating role in this relationship. In addition, power distance orientation strengthens the direct effects of ESS leadership on employees’ environmental self-accountability and low-carbon behavior, as well as the indirect effect of ESS leadership on private low-carbon behavior via environmental self-accountability. Our findings contribute to the literature surrounding ESS leadership and low-carbon behavior, and help to promote green development and thus achieve the goals of carbon neutrality and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

Can China's carbon emissions trading scheme achieve a double dividend?

To ensure the realization of carbon neutrality and emission peak, the Chinese government promulgated the pilot policy for an emissions trading scheme (ETS) in 2011 and gradually expanded the range of the pilot program. However, it has not been systematically studied whether this policy can achieve double dividend and its transmission mechanism. Based on the Porter hypothesis, this paper explores the impacts of an ETS on macro emission reduction and microeconomic performance, verifies the influence of an ETS on double dividend, and analyzes its transmission mechanism using a difference in difference (DID) model and mediation model. The results indicate that an ETS can reduce CO2 emissions and remarkably improve the economic performance of the enterprises in the areas it is enacted. A double dividend has been realized, which verifies Porter’s hypothesis. The mechanism test shows that from the macro perspective, the emission reduction effect of an ETS is mainly achieved by adjusting the energy structure and through local government regulations. In contrast, the mediation effect on the industrial structure is not apparent. From a micro perspective, an ETS mainly affects the economic situation of enterprises through cash flow and technological innovation. Moreover, the transmission effect of enterprises’ low-carbon behavior is not apparent. Heterogeneity analysis shows that compared with Midwestern China, an ETS could reduce emissions by adjusting the energy structure in Eastern China. Also, compared with state-owned or large enterprises, an ETS helps improve the economic performance of small or non-state-owned enterprises through technological innovation. This paper provides empirical evidence from macro- and microperspective for evaluating an ETS, conducive to improving the top-level framework of China’s future carbon market operation.

Does Entrepreneur Moral Reflectiveness Matter? Pursing Low-Carbon Emission Behavior among SMEs through the Relationship between Environmental Factors, Entrepreneur Personal Concept, and Outcome Expectations

The intensity and severe impact of carbon emissions on the environment has been witnessed globally. This study aims to unravel how environmental factors, personal factors, and entrepreneur outcome expectations affect entrepreneur low-carbon emission behavior (LCB) through the lens of social cognitive theory (SCT). To achieve the aims of this study, we gathered data from 1015 entrepreneurs and small, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Jiangsu province of China to analyze the predictors of entrepreneur low-carbon behavior. The proposed relationships were tested using the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings from the study indicate that environmental factors (i.e., climate change (CC), public media (PM), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have a significant and positive relationship with entrepreneur LCB. Moreover, entrepreneur green production self-efficacy (GPS) is positively associated with entrepreneur LCB. The findings further revealed that entrepreneur personal concepts such as entrepreneur self-monitoring (SM), entrepreneur self-esteem (SE), and entrepreneur self-Preference (SP) significantly and completely affect entrepreneur GPS. Likewise, entrepreneur moral reflectiveness (EMR) substantially moderates the relationship between entrepreneur green production outcome expectation and LCB. This study concludes with recommendations for researchers interested in enhancing knowledge in this field. In summation, this study shows that a behavioral science viewpoint is critical for improving knowledge of low-carbon environment, CC drivers, mitigation strategies, and sustainable transition to our complex environment.

Evolutionary game analysis of low-carbon behavior credit supervision of logistics enterprises

Based on the low-carbon obligation fulfillment of Chinese logistics enterprises, this study constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model to analyze the evolutionary process of the interaction between the local government, logistics enterprises and the public in the process of low-carbon behavior credit supervision. Then using Netlogo software, a parameter simulation experiment is conducted to determine the optimal policy for improving the effect of supervision. The results are as follows: ① The combined influence of the local government and the public can effectively change the strategic choice of enterprises and promote the low-carbon behavior of enterprises. ② In terms of improving the effect of supervision, reducing the cost of government supervision would have a highly significant effect, and reducing the cost of the public would be counterproductive. ③ Increasing the government subsidies to enterprises and the government’s fines to enterprises both have a significant effect, and the effect of improving the former is better. However, increasing the severity of higher-level governments punishing local governments will reduce the stability of the system. ④ Supervision can be more effective by increasing the public’s impact on enterprises’ earnings rather than by increasing government subsidies to the public.

Flying High in Academia—Willingness of University Staff to Perform Low-Carbon Behavior Change in Business Travel

This study aims to explore the factors that influence business travel decisions of university staff, in particular the extent and ways in which they are willing to reduce emission-intensive air travel, and the personal and structural barriers to such behavior change. Three strategies to reduce air travel were investigated: abstaining from particular events, substituting travel through virtual participation and mode shifting to ground-based public transport. We tested the effects of (1) specific decision factors for engaging in long-distance travel, choosing specific modes of travel and choosing virtual solutions; (2) former travel activities; (3) postponed trips due to COVID-19; and (4) sociodemographic factors, on the willingness of individuals to reduce air travel in a sample of university employees. We calculated regression models for the three strategies and added a qualitative analysis of open-ended comments. Former travel behavior as well as pro-environmental considerations play significant roles, influencing the willingness of employees to change their business travel behavior. Furthermore, we found that willingness to reduce air travel depends on the scope of behavior change. Although travel behavior is unevenly distributed across different subgroups, sociodemographic factors only play a minor role in the regression models. The present study adds to the limited body of quantitative research on the reduction potential of academic air travel, presenting an examination of university staff's willingness to change their long-distance travel behavior. Implications for university polices are discussed.

Does Fear of the New Coronavirus Lead to Low-Carbon Behaviors: The Moderating Effect of Outcome Framing.

PurposeAir pollution has been found to aggravate the infection and mortality of COVID-19, leading to increasing attention on pro-environmental behaviors. Considering individuals’ psychological distance from COVID-19, this research aims to examine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, air pollution concern, and low-carbon behaviors.MethodsTwo survey-based studies were conducted in this research. Study 1 consisted of 323 participants and examined the relationships between psychological distance (PD) from COVID-19, fear of COVID-19, air pollution concern, and low-carbon behaviors. Study 2 identified the moderating effect of outcome framing using an intergroup experiment in which 304 participants were randomly assigned to two groups (gain framing vs loss framing).ResultsThe results of Study 1 showed that the closer the PD was, the higher the fear was. Fear of COVID-19 and low-carbon behaviors were positively associated. Additionally, air pollution concern acted as a mediator in their relationship. The results of the moderating effect test in Study 2 showed that fear and air pollution concern led to higher low-carbon behavioral intention within gain framing than within loss framing.ConclusionThis research revealed that personal fear of public health emergencies will lead to environmental pollution concern and pro-environmental behaviors, and information from the outside plays a moderating role. The results provide implications for policy advocacy of the health and environmental sectors and for guiding people’s low-carbon behaviors.

Customer demand-driven low-carbon vehicles combined strategy and route optimisation integrated decision

With the optimal operating cost and optimal carbon emission target of the chemical logistics companies, a low-carbon routing optimisation with a multi-energy type vehicle combined problem is proposed by considering the concept of the logistics companies’ low-carbon behaviour. An integrated decision-making of multi-energy type vehicles combined strategy and route optimisation based on customer demand is presented, and an improved genetic algorithm is designed. A case study is then applied based on the data collected from the case research. The effectiveness of the improved genetic algorithm is tested. The two joint objectives of operating cost and carbon emission are examined through the cost analysis of environmental energy vehicles and traditional energy vehicles in different combination scenarios. The case analysis shows that a rational multi-energy type vehicle combination with route optimisation has a significant correlation with the operating cost and carbon emissions, while the environmental vehicle purchasing cost reduction and subsidy policy affect the operating cost.

Efficiency Power Plant Implementation Decision-Making Based on the Profit Function and Its Numerical Simulation

The efficiency power plant (EPP) is a kind of virtual power plant with zero emission, zero pollution, and low cost and exhibits a high-quality low-carbon production behavior in input-output analysis. In the process of implementing EPP, enterprises not only save electricity but also reduce carbon emissions, while increasing the cost of R&D and equipment. Therefore, it is very necessary to study relationships between carbon quota and EPP implementation decision. In this paper, we build the profit functions of three different types of enterprises implementing EPP and analyze the relationship of main parameters, such as the probability of implementing EPP, electricity saving, income, cost, and carbon quota, and obtain nine relative results. Then, we use ‘Maple’ software to simulate the results by drawing images of parameters, and all the above nine results passed the simulation test verification. At last, we collect the actual survey data and use VC++ programming to carry out an empirical study in China to prove the practicability of the model and the results. The results show that, under the carbon quota trading system, enterprises should tend to implement EPPs and increase investment in R&D and acquisition of EPPs and are needed to adjust the intensity of implementing EPPs according to the change of carbon quota and unit carbon quota income, to obtain higher income.

Green development growth momentum under carbon neutrality scenario

With the general recognition of the awareness of carbon neutrality, economic development growth momentum for carbon neutrality scenario has become research focus. This paper introduces the carbon neutrality double input level based on the perspective of the initiative, consciousness, and self-discipline of firms and residents to practice green low-carbon behavior. By constructing a balanced economic system of green low-carbon behavior, this paper explores the new endogenous growth power in production and consumption, and finds that there exists a carbon neutrality realization regulation of green low-carbon behavior in the new system. Based on the penetration capacity of green low-carbon behavior, this paper studies the endogenous growth law of economic system driven by the evolution of carbon neutrality double input level. The production and consumption processes are considered in the new economic system in this paper, the production of green low-carbon goods is considered in the production sector and the technical equation under carbon neutrality double input level is studied, the consumption process of green goods affected by environment and carbon emissions is considered in the household, then the household utility function is constructed, and the new growth rate is obtained. Using carbon emissions growth rate of green low-carbon goods and its relationship with absorption rate derive the carbon neutrality realization regulation. Then the general equilibrium solution and growth rate under endogenous growth driven by carbon neutrality double input level are also obtained. Furthermore, the carbon neutrality effects which are the endogenous effect of carbon neutrality double input level and the effect of carbon neutrality realization regulation are obtained by numerical simulation and empirical analysis.

A perspective on the human dimensions of a transition to net-zero energy systems

Net-zero energy systems are critical for reducing global temperature change to 1.5°C. Transitioning to net-zero systems is simultaneously a technological and a social challenge. Different net-zero configurations imply different system and lifestyle changes, and strongly depend on people supporting and adopting these changes. This Perspective presents key insights from the social sciences into factors that motivate low-carbon behaviour and support for low-carbon technologies, policies, and system changes that would need to be addressed to successfully design, develop, implement, and operate net-zero systems. As there is no single net-zero solution, and configurations may differ from region to region, we discuss cultural and regional factors that can enable or inhibit the implementation of net-zero systems on a global scale.

Research on the innovation incentive effect and heterogeneity of the market-incentive environmental regulation on mineral resource enterprises.

Problems of ecological environment and resources have become an important factor restricting the high-quality development of China's economy. How to better integrate into the sustainable development model has become an important goal of macro-policy regulation in the transition period. Mining industry is a fundamental industry in China. Strengthening the incentive role of mining innovation is of great importance for ensuring China's energy security, reducing emissions and promoting economic growth. However, whether environmental regulation can induce technological innovation ability, that is, the existence of Porter effect, is still controversial. It is helpful to study the influence of the Porter hypothesis on mining enterprises for their sustainable development. Based on the data of listed companies in China from 2003 to 2018, and against the background of the SO2 emission trading pilot policy implemented in 2007, this paper studies the incentive effect of the market-incentive environmental regulation on the technological innovation ability of mineral resource enterprises, tests the existence of Porter effect, and discusses the heterogeneity. The results show that the market-incentive environmental regulation has a significant incentive effect on the innovation of mining enterprises, and there is significant Porter effect on mining enterprises. The robustness test confirms the correctness of this conclusion. At the same time, this paper also discusses the variation of the characteristics of heterogeneous enterprises, and finds that enterprises with utility model patents, no low-carbon behavior, and non-provincial cities and regions with high environmental regulation are more sensitive to the SO2 emission trading pilot policy. This paper verifies the incentive effect of the market-incentive environmental regulation on the innovation ability of mining enterprises, and provides a reference for the formulation of innovation incentive policies for mining enterprises in China.

Low-Carbon Supply Chain Emission Reduction Strategy Considering the Supervision of Downstream Enterprises Based on Evolutionary Game Theory

In order to explore the issue of multi-party collaborative governance of energy conservation and emission reduction under the perspective of the low-carbon supply chain, the participation of downstream enterprises as an effective source of local government supervision is included in the selection of low-carbon behaviors of suppliers. First, this paper establishes a tripartite evolutionary game model among local governments, suppliers and downstream enterprise groups. By calculating and copying dynamic equations, the asymptotic stability analysis of the three parties of the game is performed and the stability of the Jacobian matrix proposed by Friedman is used to analyze the local stability of the model equilibrium point and the evolutionary stability strategy of the system. Secondly, the evolution results and evolution paths of the model under different strategies are simulated by system dynamics and the influence of different parameters on the main body selection strategy of the tripartite game is analyzed. Finally, the paper puts forward corresponding policy suggestions from the perspectives of local government, suppliers and downstream enterprises in order to provide new ideas for the governance of China’s environmental problems from the perspective of low carbon.

Low carbon readiness in social context: Introducing the social context of environmental identity model

Low carbon readiness (LCR) is an aspect of environmental identity, an individual citizen’s willingness to reduce carbon emissions and transition to low carbon lifestyle as a personal striving. Nevertheless, individuals’ personal strivings are strongly influenced by the social context in which they are situated. We propose the social context of environmental identity model, which postulates that social contexts for LCR have a nested structure. The micro‐level Home is linked with other households through social networks at the meso‐level Community, which are further embedded in a macro‐level Society. These contexts are likely to influence LCR through different mechanisms. Home can exert direct influences by monitoring and reminding each other of the need to engage in low carbon behaviours. Community affects individuals’ readiness by providing social capital. The macro‐level Society exerts social influence through societal norms not only its current descriptive norm but also through its dynamic norms about the changing trends into the future. We have tested and found support for these propositions in three national cross‐sectional data sets from Australia. Our discussions will centre around a need to investigate social and cultural processes involved in climate change mitigation, and to link these insights to public policies.

Evolutionary Games of Low-Carbon Behaviors of Construction Stakeholders under Carbon Taxes.

The development of low-carbon buildings (LCBs) in China has not reached its expected status, although the Chinese government has formulated many relevant regulations. The real estate developers and consumers are essential participants in the development of LCBs. This paper explores whether the government’s implementation of the carbon tax will change their choices of LCBs. Evolutionary game models between developers and consumers are established under static and dynamic carbon taxes. Their evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) are deduced in different situations. According to the real scenarios in China, numerical simulations are further conducted to show that carbon tax influences the low-carbon behaviors of stakeholders in the construction industry. Under a static carbon tax, the two players cannot reach an equilibrium state, while the game system is stable under a dynamic tax. The probability of the developers constructing LCBs is positively related to the carbon tax, while its degree is gradually weakened as the tax rate increases. Therefore, an appropriate tax should be set to promote the development of LCBs effectively. Finally, policy implications are put forwarded to guide the participants’ low-carbon behaviors and reduce the carbon emissions in the Chinese construction industry.