hile low carbon technology must play an important role to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, alone it may not be enough. We should also reduce energy demand to significantly cut GHG emissions, particularly in developing countries where the introduction of new technologies may be uneven. Demand-side mitigation, according to a recent report from the IPCC, includes changes in infrastructure use, end-use technology adoption, and socio-cultural and behavioral change. Demand-side measures and new methods of end-use service provision have the potential to reduce emissions in end-use sectors by 40–70% by 2050, while some regions and socioeconomic groups require additional energy and resources.
Demand-side options are low-hanging fruit for climate mitigation that can feasibly be achieved at very low cost in individual daily life. Simple changes in one’s daily life habits including in our diet, in the way we commute, and how we work can go a long way toward reducing our carbon footprint.
Options for Demand-Side Emissions Mitigation
Climate action through social cultural or behavior changes include reducing food waste and meat consumption, adjusting indoor temperatures, adopting teleworking, turning off lights during the daytime, and promoting active mobility through exercise and biking. Options for demand-side mitigation in infrastructure include reducing food waste across supply chains, using public transport, pursuing highly efficient space building, and establishing distribution networks for recycling industrial waste. End-use technology adoption can contribute to mitigation through, for example, producing high-protein meat from insects in addition to conventional farming, green procurement, advances in energy efficiency, and construction methods using more renewable energy.
Due to COVID-19, teleworking has now become more prevalent among working individuals. Research shows that during the pandemic, energy use in buildings showed a small increase in demand of 5 EJ (3% increase), as growth in residential energy has been only partially offset by reductions in commercial and public building energy use. With an increasing number of people staying at home during the lockdowns, CO2 emissions from commercial offices decreased as they were not fully occupied. As a result of these observed changes, total CO2 emissions in 2020 were around 7% or 3 Gt lower than they would have been without the pandemic.
Another example of incremental yet important steps which are being taken toward sustainability are food delivery companies. Very often these companies, through their digital apps, provide customers with single-use food packaging and cutlery, which contributes to GHG emissions and environmental pollution. Yet some food delivery companies are already adding “green nudges” to their apps, thereby encouraging users to reduce plastic waste by earning special reward points.
These are several examples where changing individual habits could have significant demand-side impacts on GHG emissions.
How Japan is Encouraging Demand-Side Emissions Mitigation
The Ministry of Environment of Japan launched a new sustainability movement in late 2022 encouraging citizens and consumers to change their behaviors and lifestyles to help achieve the country’s carbon neutrality in 2050. It calls for individuals to adopt several simple yet impactful lifestyle changes—such as using more efficient energy at home, using smart transport systems, adopting sustainable fashion, and reducing waste—that would help to achieve a decarbonized society within ten years. For instance, based on the estimates provided by the Ministry of Environment of Japan, installing solar panels on rooftops is estimated to reduce electricity cost by $380 (per capita) each year, while insulating windows, roofs, walls, and floors could save an annual $670. Working from home could save working individuals an annual $440 and reduce their commuting time by 275 hours. Energy savings from shifting to LED lighting are estimated at $20 and save 0.4 hours/year while home appliances (refrigerator, air conditioner, and home energy management systems) (HEMS) could help save $200 each year. “Cool biz”—a campaign launched by the government to encourage workers to dress down in Summer—could save each individual an annual $30 by reducing air conditioning (AC) room temperature. This new movement could also inspire other countries, by promoting similar lifestyle changes to reduce individual carbon footprint in homes, offices, schools, and local communities.
To overcome the climate crisis, the world urgently needs to achieve de-carbonization. This will require not only transforming the energy supply system and adopting renewable energy, but also reducing energy demand. Improving energy efficiency through so-called Low Energy Demand (LED) in both developed countries (like Japan) and developing ones will accelerate megatrends such as the digital economy, the circular economy, and the sharing economy.
Japan has been promoting Low Energy Demand with a focus on wellbeing through minimal yet potent lifestyle changes. This sustainable movement put forward by the Japanese Ministry of Environment could easily be adapted and adopted in other countries as well to help reduce their carbon footprint by implementing similar simple changes in their population’s daily habits.
Editors’ Note: This article was included in our COP 28 special edition, which was published on November 21, 2023, and which you can find here. All articles were written with that publication time frame in mind.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University.
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How Simple Changes in Daily Life Can Help the World Achieve Net Zero
Small, easily accessible changes in our daily behavior can add up to powerful GHG emissions cuts, according to Dr. Joni Jupesta. Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash
December 6, 2023
Making our energy, mining, and agriculture systems cleaner is important to reaching net-zero GHG emissions, but alone may not be enough. We also need to reduce our demand for energy, which can be achieved through simple changes in daily habits, writes Dr. Joni Jupesta.
W
hile low carbon technology must play an important role to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, alone it may not be enough. We should also reduce energy demand to significantly cut GHG emissions, particularly in developing countries where the introduction of new technologies may be uneven. Demand-side mitigation, according to a recent report from the IPCC, includes changes in infrastructure use, end-use technology adoption, and socio-cultural and behavioral change. Demand-side measures and new methods of end-use service provision have the potential to reduce emissions in end-use sectors by 40–70% by 2050, while some regions and socioeconomic groups require additional energy and resources.
Demand-side options are low-hanging fruit for climate mitigation that can feasibly be achieved at very low cost in individual daily life. Simple changes in one’s daily life habits including in our diet, in the way we commute, and how we work can go a long way toward reducing our carbon footprint.
Options for Demand-Side Emissions Mitigation
Climate action through social cultural or behavior changes include reducing food waste and meat consumption, adjusting indoor temperatures, adopting teleworking, turning off lights during the daytime, and promoting active mobility through exercise and biking. Options for demand-side mitigation in infrastructure include reducing food waste across supply chains, using public transport, pursuing highly efficient space building, and establishing distribution networks for recycling industrial waste. End-use technology adoption can contribute to mitigation through, for example, producing high-protein meat from insects in addition to conventional farming, green procurement, advances in energy efficiency, and construction methods using more renewable energy.
Due to COVID-19, teleworking has now become more prevalent among working individuals. Research shows that during the pandemic, energy use in buildings showed a small increase in demand of 5 EJ (3% increase), as growth in residential energy has been only partially offset by reductions in commercial and public building energy use. With an increasing number of people staying at home during the lockdowns, CO2 emissions from commercial offices decreased as they were not fully occupied. As a result of these observed changes, total CO2 emissions in 2020 were around 7% or 3 Gt lower than they would have been without the pandemic.
Another example of incremental yet important steps which are being taken toward sustainability are food delivery companies. Very often these companies, through their digital apps, provide customers with single-use food packaging and cutlery, which contributes to GHG emissions and environmental pollution. Yet some food delivery companies are already adding “green nudges” to their apps, thereby encouraging users to reduce plastic waste by earning special reward points.
These are several examples where changing individual habits could have significant demand-side impacts on GHG emissions.
How Japan is Encouraging Demand-Side Emissions Mitigation
The Ministry of Environment of Japan launched a new sustainability movement in late 2022 encouraging citizens and consumers to change their behaviors and lifestyles to help achieve the country’s carbon neutrality in 2050. It calls for individuals to adopt several simple yet impactful lifestyle changes—such as using more efficient energy at home, using smart transport systems, adopting sustainable fashion, and reducing waste—that would help to achieve a decarbonized society within ten years. For instance, based on the estimates provided by the Ministry of Environment of Japan, installing solar panels on rooftops is estimated to reduce electricity cost by $380 (per capita) each year, while insulating windows, roofs, walls, and floors could save an annual $670. Working from home could save working individuals an annual $440 and reduce their commuting time by 275 hours. Energy savings from shifting to LED lighting are estimated at $20 and save 0.4 hours/year while home appliances (refrigerator, air conditioner, and home energy management systems) (HEMS) could help save $200 each year. “Cool biz”—a campaign launched by the government to encourage workers to dress down in Summer—could save each individual an annual $30 by reducing air conditioning (AC) room temperature. This new movement could also inspire other countries, by promoting similar lifestyle changes to reduce individual carbon footprint in homes, offices, schools, and local communities.
To overcome the climate crisis, the world urgently needs to achieve de-carbonization. This will require not only transforming the energy supply system and adopting renewable energy, but also reducing energy demand. Improving energy efficiency through so-called Low Energy Demand (LED) in both developed countries (like Japan) and developing ones will accelerate megatrends such as the digital economy, the circular economy, and the sharing economy.
Japan has been promoting Low Energy Demand with a focus on wellbeing through minimal yet potent lifestyle changes. This sustainable movement put forward by the Japanese Ministry of Environment could easily be adapted and adopted in other countries as well to help reduce their carbon footprint by implementing similar simple changes in their population’s daily habits.
Editors’ Note: This article was included in our COP 28 special edition, which was published on November 21, 2023, and which you can find here. All articles were written with that publication time frame in mind.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University.
