DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102123
论文题名: The behavioral response to a corporate carbon offset program: A field experiment on adverse effects and mitigation strategies
作者: Günther S.A. ; Staake T. ; Schöb S. ; Tiefenbeck V.
刊名: Global Environmental Change
ISSN: 9593780
出版年: 2020
卷: 64 语种: 英语
中文关键词: Behavioral rebound
; Carbon offsets
; CO2 compensation
; Corporate social responsibility
; Natural field experiment
; Resource consumption
英文关键词: cost analysis
; emissions trading
; environmental economics
; field method
; greenhouse gas
; resource use
; strategic approach
; Germany
英文摘要: More and more organizations are compensating the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their products and services through carbon offset programs. From the customers’ perspective, the mitigation of negative externalities associated with their demand may increase the utility derived from the (then guilt-free) consumption. In particular in settings where consumers do not pay for the marginal cost of consumption, this may lead to higher levels of resource use. This article empirically examines how the announcement of an organizational carbon offset program affects consumption in a CO2-intensive everyday activity (showering). We further evaluate the provision of real-time feedback as a strategy to counteract potential increases in consumption. For this purpose, we conducted an eight-week randomized controlled natural field experiment in a German youth hostel (full 2 × 2 factorial design; N = 9,999 observations). Consumption in the group with the offset program was statistically significantly higher than in the control group (by 5.4 to 15.5%). However, participants who additionally received real-time feedback on their consumption did not increase their resource use compared to the control group. While the results suggest that carbon offset programs may increase resource use, the findings provide evidence that organizations can counteract these adverse effects by making the individual's resource use salient. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/168174
Appears in Collections: 气候变化与战略
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作者单位: Department of Information Systems and Applied Computer Sciences, University of Bamberg, An der Weberei 5, Bamberg, 96047, Germany; Department of Management, Technology and Economics, ETH Zurich, Weinbergstr. 56/58, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland; School of Business, Economics and Society, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Lange Gasse 20, Nuremberg, 90403, Germany
Recommended Citation:
Günther S.A.,Staake T.,Schöb S.,et al. The behavioral response to a corporate carbon offset program: A field experiment on adverse effects and mitigation strategies[J]. Global Environmental Change,2020-01-01,64