Masters lecture in Environment and Natural Resources - Húbert Ó Huntingdon-Williams
Master student: Húbert Ó Huntingdon-Williams
Title: Carbon Footprints in the Nordics: Do dietary choices of Nordic households affect their consumption-based carbon footprints?
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Advisors: Jukka Heinonen, Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland and Áróra Árnsdóttir, Post doc at the Engineering Institute, University of Iceland
Examiner: Emma Wanjiku Njeru
Abstract:
The Nordic nations are at the forefront of global climate issues due to their enormous focus on the supply and production of renewable energy. Despite that, the consumption-based carbon footprint of the people of the Nordic countries is so high that they are among the countries that emit the most in the world. Aim of the study is to examine the carbon footprint of the Nordic population based on different diets and meat consumption. The data on which the study is based are the results of an online survey that was conducted in the Nordic countries and included approx. 8000 participants. Emphasis is placed on how diet and socio-economic factors are analyzed concerning consumption-based carbon footprints, for example, based on housing, car use, transport, domestic and foreign travel, goods and services, pet ownership, and cottage ownership. Bivariate and regression analysis was used in the GNU PSPP format and the results were as follows; Denmark has the highest carbon footprint in the Nordic countries. Whereas the average Dane has 8.4 tCO2-eq/cap. This was followed by Iceland and Finland (7.8 tCO2-eq/cap), Norway (7.2 tCO-eq/cap), and Sweden (6.4 tCO-eq/cap). When looking at the average daily consumption of meat, Denmark was again at the top (9.1 tCO2-eq/cap), followed by Finland (8.4 tCO2-eq/cap), Iceland (8.2 tCO2-eq/cap), Norway (7.4 tCO2-eq/cap), and finally Sweden (6.8 tCO2-eq/cap). The high average level of daily meat consumption is caused by the fact that those who do not eat meat are not included in the data, because on average omnivores have a higher carbon footprint than others. The results of the study show that a participant's carbon footprint decreases when meat is removed from their diet. Dietary habits, products and services, and vehicle use have a major impact on the general Nordic consumption-driven carbon footprint. The socioeconomic variable that had the most influence on the carbon footprint of the participants in the survey was income, based on consumption-driven behavior. When looking at the overall aspects of the research, it can be seen that the carbon footprint of individuals increases according to income groups, the higher the income, the higher the carbon footprint. The results show that emphasis needs to be placed on the personal impairment of individuals when it comes to the consumption of various goods due to the high standard of living in the Nordic countries, despite being very advanced in sustainable energy use.