Households are willing to adjust their behaviour for the benefit of the environment, whereas people should be given easier access to sustainable options and real enticements to make choices that can reduce environmental footprints. In a new analysis, OECD said that governments need to do a lot more to encourage more sustainable choices.
In its analysis, “How Green is Household Behaviour? Sustainable choices in a time of interlocking crises” OECD noted that making environmentally friendly options more affordable and convenient, and creating concrete incentives for behavioural change is key.
AFFORDABILITY AND CONVENIENCE
The analysis also notes that the people should have the liberty to choose renewably generated electricity or to easily charge electric vehicle batteries. The OECD mentions that availability and feasibility must be complemented by affordability and convenience. As an example, the organisation talks of improved public transport through more frequent services, better network coverage and lower fares. Moreover, it also talks of rewards for greener behaviour that could drive sustainable habits. As an instance, OECD says that shoppers bringing reusable containers could receive discounts on sustainable food items. Equally, it is important to ensure that the more environmentally sustainable alternatives are not confined to small segments of the population, such as higher-income households, homeowners and those living in detached housing, but also for lower-income households, tenants and those living in apartment buildings.
MAKING PERSONAL COMPROMISE
OECD did the analysis after a survey of more than 17,000 households across nine countries. Over half of respondents expect climate change and environmental issues to reduce quality of life for both current and future generations. Two-thirds (65%) indicate that they are willing to make personal compromises to their lifestyles for the benefit of the environment. However, for many respondents, these compromises should not entail a financial cost. About 63% of respondents agreed that environmental policies should not impose extra money. Approximately 40% of respondents agreed with both these statements, pointing to a likely challenge for governments in implementing demand-side measures.
“This Survey shows that availability, affordability and convenience are the key drivers for people to make environmentally sound decisions, and there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” OECD Environment Director Jo Tyndall said. “Governments should seek to remove barriers to sustainable choices and to improve the incentives for making these choices. Households need greater access to all manner of more sustainable options – from enhanced public transport and accessible car charging stations to renewable energy and collection services for different types of waste.”
OTHER KEY FINDINGS
• People are more likely to take energy-saving actions that require little effort. This includes turning off lights on leaving a room (92% of respondents) rather than harder-to-adopt behaviours, such as minimising heating or air-conditioning (68%). Uptake of renewable and energy efficiency is more limited even when options are available. Among households for whom installation is possible, less than a third has installed heat pumps (30%), solar panels (29%), and battery storage (27%).
• Most households still rely on fossil fuel-driven cars, with 75% reporting that at least one household member uses one regularly. Among regular car users, 54% said they would drive less if public transport were better, e.g. if it were cheaper, more frequent, or more widespread. A lack of charging infrastructure appears to remain a barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles, with 33% of respondents reporting that there are no charging stations within 3km of where they live.
• Many households use reusable shopping bags (83%) but fewer buy second-hand items (37%) or rent goods where this could be a viable option (20%). Households with access to drop-off and kerbside recycling collection produce on average 26% and 42% less mixed waste than households without such services, underscoring the importance of access to convenient options. Households who are charged for mixed waste compost 55% of their food waste versus 35% for those that are not charged. 16% of households dispose of unwanted electric and electronic goods along with their mixed waste.
• Affordability, taste, freshness and nutritional value are more important to respondents than environmental considerations when making food purchases. Dairy products are the most frequently consumed animal products, with 69% of households reporting that they consume them several times. Overall, 24% of households report eating red meat several times a week, and less than half of respondents would be willing to substitute meat with a lab-grown alternative.
• While the pandemic has resulted in long-lasting shifts in certain behaviours like working from home, other environmentally related behaviour has seen less of a lasting impact. 57% of respondents expect to fly as much post-COVID as they did before and just 28% expect to fly less. On food habits, 29% expect to eat out less frequently post-COVID and 17% expect to do so more often. Similarly, 25% expect to order takeout for delivery less often while 15% expect to do so more often. Households overwhelmingly reported that their volumes of mixed and recyclable waste had not changed since the pandemic.
