Extensive technological developments, a ban on fossil fuels, less construction, fewer flights, fewer car journeys and lower levels of beef and dairy consumption. Only by taking all these measures in combination can Sweden get closer to emission levels in line with the Paris Agreement, according to a new research report commissioned by the Swedish Parliament.
On April 7, the Swedish Cross-Party Committee on Environmental Objectives is suggesting a new consumption-based climate target, as a complement to the existing territorial climate targets. As a basis for this, a group of Swedish researchers, from organizations including Chalmers University of Technology, have produced a comprehensive report analyzing how consumption patterns need to change for Sweden to reach emission levels in line with the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping the global temperature rise well below two degrees Celsius.
The researchers' conclusion is that while extensive technological developments are essential, consumption habits must also change—only by combining these two approaches do we stand a chance of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The premise in the calculations is that the remaining future emissions are distributed globally evenly per person.
"If we are to achieve really low emission levels, we need to both invest heavily in new climate-smart technologies, as well as make significant changes to our behavior when it comes to the goods and services with the highest carbon footprints," says Jörgen Larsson, Associate Professor in sustainable consumption at Chalmers University of Technology, and project manager for the report.
Without behavioral changes, emissions will remain high
The report is based on analyses of different scenarios and shows that if we rely only on technological developments—measures such as eliminating fossil-fuel vehicles, producing fossil-free steel and fossil-free commercial fertilizer—emissions will still be too high. Only when these technological developments are combined with significant changes in behavior does the outlook improve—particularly if the changes are substantial.
When combined with fewer flights, less car travel, significantly reduced consumption of beef and dairy products, and radically reduced construction of roads and housing—for example by converting office blocks to residential buildings—emissions could sink by up to 90 percent by 2050, compared with today's level. This reduction of emissions is based on the assumption that the rest of the world also enacts climate change mitigation measures to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, thereby reducing the carbon footprints of imported goods.
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