Reducing carbon-based energy consumption through changes in household behavior

Thomas Dietz, Paul C. Stern, Elke U. Weber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

Actions by individuals and households to reduce carbon-based energy consumption have the potential to change the picture of U.S. energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the near term. To tap this potential, however, energy policies and programs need to replace outmoded assumptions about what drives human behavior; they must integrate insights from the behavioral and social sciences with those from engineering and economics. This integrated approach has thus far only occasionally been implemented. This essay summarizes knowledge from the social sciences and from highly successful energy programs to show what the potential is and how it can be achieved.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)78-89
Number of pages12
JournalDaedalus
Volume142
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2013
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Political Science and International Relations
  • History and Philosophy of Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Reducing carbon-based energy consumption through changes in household behavior'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this