Rebound effects projected onto carbon footprints - Implications for climate change mitigation in the built environment

Juudit Ottelin

Rebound effects projected onto carbon footprints - Implications for climate change mitigation in the built environment

Julkaisun otsikon käännös: Kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutusten heijastuminen hiilijalanjälkiin ja merkitys ilmastonmuutoksen hillinnälle rakennetussa ympäristössä

Juudit Ottelin

Tutkimustuotos: Doctoral Thesis › Collection of Articles

Abstrakti

Rakennetun ympäristön aiheuttamia kasvihuonekaasupäästöjä pyritään vähentämään monilla keinoilla, kuten energiatehokkaalla rakentamisella ja kaupunki- ja liikennesuunnittelulla. Keinojen toimivuutta mitataan yleensä keskittymällä yhteen päästölähteeseen, esimerkiksi asumisen energiaan tai liikenteen päästöihin. Käsillä oleva tutkimus avaa tällaiseen lähestymistapaan liittyviä ongelmia. Tutkimuksen pääkäsite on kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutus (rebound effect). Vaikka ilmastonhillintätoimenpiteet usein vähentävät niitä päästöjä, joihin ne kohdistuvat, ne muuttavat samalla kulutuksen allokointia, mikä voi johtaa yllättäviin seurauksiin. Tätä kutsutaan kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutukseksi. Tutkimus jatkaa rakennetun ympäristön hiilijalanjälkitutkimusta, ja tukee aiempaa löydöstä kaupunkirakenteen heikosta yhteydestä kokonaishiilijalanjälkiin, vaikka sen vaikutus autoilun päästöihin on merkittävä. Tutkimus selittää ilmiötä erityisesti autoilun ja auton omistuksen vähentämiseen liittyvillä kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutuksilla, mutta myös muilla tutkimuksen kattamilla aihealueilla. Kotitalouksien sisäinen resurssien jakaminen pienentää hiilijalanjälkiä enemmän ulommilla kaupunkivyöhykkeillä kuin kaupunki-keskustoissa. Lisäksi energiatehokas asuminen on pienentänyt hiilijalanjälkiä pientaloalueilla, mutta ei sisimmällä kaupunkivyöhykkeellä. Vaikka kaupunkirakenteen vaikutus näyttäytyy tutkimuksessa heikkona, autoilun suora vähentäminen, energiatehokkaat rakennukset ja hiili-intensiivisten tuotteiden ja palveluiden jakaminen näyttäisivät pienentävän hiilijalanjälkiä merkittävästi. Tutkimus tuo teoreettista tutkimusta kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutuksista ja empiiristä hiilijalanjälkitutkimusta rakennetussa ympäristössä lähemmäksi toisiaan. Kimmoisuusvaikutuksia tutkitaan perinteisesti ekonometrisella mallinnuksella. Hiilijalanjälki-tutkimus puolestaan nojaa todelliseen kulutukseen. Tutkimuksen teoreettisena ja metodologisena johtopäätöksenä esitetään hiilijalanjälkiin perustuva määritelmä kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutukselle. Tätä graafista esitystä voi käyttää kimmoisuusvaikutus-teorioiden empiiriseen testaukseen, jos käytettävissä on pitkittäisdataa. Käytännössä tutkimus havainnollistaa, kuinka myös tyypillistä kulutustutkimus-dataa yhdessä ajanpisteessä voidaan käyttää kimmoisuusvaikutusten suurpiirteiseen arviointiin.

Julkaisun otsikon käännös	Kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutusten heijastuminen hiilijalanjälkiin ja merkitys ilmastonmuutoksen hillinnälle rakennetussa ympäristössä
Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Pätevyys	Tohtorintutkinto
Myöntävä instituutio	Aalto-yliopisto
Valvoja/neuvonantaja	Junnila, Seppo, Vastuuprofessori Heinonen, Jukka, Vastuuprofessori Úlfarsson, Guðmundur Freyr, Ohjaaja
Kustantaja	Aalto University
Painoksen ISBN	978-952-60-7088-9
Sähköinen ISBN	978-952-60-7087-2
Tila	Julkaistu - 2016
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	G5 Tohtorinväitöskirja (artikkeli)

Tutkimusalat

hiilijalanjälki
kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutus
panos-tuotos analyysi
elinkaariarviointi
kaupunkirakenne
rakennettu ympäristö
kasvihuonekaasupäästö

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http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-7087-2Lisenssi: Määrittelemätön

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@phdthesis{5299cb6c56a34624a2e2413a27a4aeca,

title = "Rebound effects projected onto carbon footprints - Implications for climate change mitigation in the built environment",

abstract = "Climate change mitigation in the built environment encompasses various mitigation measures, such as energy efficient buildings, spatial planning instruments and other policies targeting the emissions resulting from transport. However, studies on the impacts of these measures typically only focus on a single emission source, such as housing energy or transport. The thesis enlightens, why the focus on the targeted emissions alone is misguiding in many cases. The key concept of the thesis is the rebound effect. While mitigation measures often reduce the targeted emissions, they have unintended consequences due to shifts in consumption. These unintended consequences are called rebound effect. The thesis contributes to carbon footprint research in the built environment and supports the earlier findings that urban structure has a weak or even statistically insignificant connection to total carbon footprints, despite having a relatively strong effect on driving-related emissions. The thesis explains this phenomenon via the rebound effects for reduced car ownership and driving, but also by means of other issues covered in the thesis. In Finland, which is the geographical scope of the thesis, the benefits of intra-household sharing are stronger in suburban areas than in inner urban areas, which alleviates the harmful effects of urban sprawl. Furthermore, new energy efficient housing has reduced carbon footprints in outer urban areas but not in inner urban areas. While the effect of urban structure appears low, direct reduction of driving, energy efficient housing and the sharing of greenhouse gas intensive goods and services seem to reduce carbon footprints significantly. The thesis aims to bridge the gap between studies on theoretical rebound effects and studies on empirical carbon footprints within the context of the built environment. Rebound effects are usually studied with econometric modelling, whereas carbon footprint studies are based on the real expenditure of consumers. A carbon footprint-based definition for rebound effect is presented as the theoretical implication of the thesis. This graphic presentation could be used for rigorous empirical testing of rebound theories by using carbon footprints when longitudinal data are available. In practice, the thesis demonstrates the ways in which cross-sectional carbon footprints can be employed to estimate probable rebound effects.",

keywords = "carbon footprint, rebound effect, input output analysis, life cycle assessment, built environment, urban structure, greenhouse gas emissions, hiilijalanj{\"a}lki, kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutus, panos-tuotos analyysi, elinkaariarviointi, kaupunkirakenne, rakennettu ymp{\"a}rist{\"o}, kasvihuonekaasup{\"a}{\"a}st{\"o}, carbon footprint, rebound effect, input output analysis, life cycle assessment, built environment, urban structure, greenhouse gas emissions",

author = "Juudit Ottelin",

year = "2016",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-952-60-7088-9",

series = "Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS",

publisher = "Aalto University",

number = "219",

address = "Finland",

school = "Aalto University",

}

TY - THES

T1 - Rebound effects projected onto carbon footprints - Implications for climate change mitigation in the built environment

AU - Ottelin, Juudit

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Climate change mitigation in the built environment encompasses various mitigation measures, such as energy efficient buildings, spatial planning instruments and other policies targeting the emissions resulting from transport. However, studies on the impacts of these measures typically only focus on a single emission source, such as housing energy or transport. The thesis enlightens, why the focus on the targeted emissions alone is misguiding in many cases. The key concept of the thesis is the rebound effect. While mitigation measures often reduce the targeted emissions, they have unintended consequences due to shifts in consumption. These unintended consequences are called rebound effect. The thesis contributes to carbon footprint research in the built environment and supports the earlier findings that urban structure has a weak or even statistically insignificant connection to total carbon footprints, despite having a relatively strong effect on driving-related emissions. The thesis explains this phenomenon via the rebound effects for reduced car ownership and driving, but also by means of other issues covered in the thesis. In Finland, which is the geographical scope of the thesis, the benefits of intra-household sharing are stronger in suburban areas than in inner urban areas, which alleviates the harmful effects of urban sprawl. Furthermore, new energy efficient housing has reduced carbon footprints in outer urban areas but not in inner urban areas. While the effect of urban structure appears low, direct reduction of driving, energy efficient housing and the sharing of greenhouse gas intensive goods and services seem to reduce carbon footprints significantly. The thesis aims to bridge the gap between studies on theoretical rebound effects and studies on empirical carbon footprints within the context of the built environment. Rebound effects are usually studied with econometric modelling, whereas carbon footprint studies are based on the real expenditure of consumers. A carbon footprint-based definition for rebound effect is presented as the theoretical implication of the thesis. This graphic presentation could be used for rigorous empirical testing of rebound theories by using carbon footprints when longitudinal data are available. In practice, the thesis demonstrates the ways in which cross-sectional carbon footprints can be employed to estimate probable rebound effects.

AB - Climate change mitigation in the built environment encompasses various mitigation measures, such as energy efficient buildings, spatial planning instruments and other policies targeting the emissions resulting from transport. However, studies on the impacts of these measures typically only focus on a single emission source, such as housing energy or transport. The thesis enlightens, why the focus on the targeted emissions alone is misguiding in many cases. The key concept of the thesis is the rebound effect. While mitigation measures often reduce the targeted emissions, they have unintended consequences due to shifts in consumption. These unintended consequences are called rebound effect. The thesis contributes to carbon footprint research in the built environment and supports the earlier findings that urban structure has a weak or even statistically insignificant connection to total carbon footprints, despite having a relatively strong effect on driving-related emissions. The thesis explains this phenomenon via the rebound effects for reduced car ownership and driving, but also by means of other issues covered in the thesis. In Finland, which is the geographical scope of the thesis, the benefits of intra-household sharing are stronger in suburban areas than in inner urban areas, which alleviates the harmful effects of urban sprawl. Furthermore, new energy efficient housing has reduced carbon footprints in outer urban areas but not in inner urban areas. While the effect of urban structure appears low, direct reduction of driving, energy efficient housing and the sharing of greenhouse gas intensive goods and services seem to reduce carbon footprints significantly. The thesis aims to bridge the gap between studies on theoretical rebound effects and studies on empirical carbon footprints within the context of the built environment. Rebound effects are usually studied with econometric modelling, whereas carbon footprint studies are based on the real expenditure of consumers. A carbon footprint-based definition for rebound effect is presented as the theoretical implication of the thesis. This graphic presentation could be used for rigorous empirical testing of rebound theories by using carbon footprints when longitudinal data are available. In practice, the thesis demonstrates the ways in which cross-sectional carbon footprints can be employed to estimate probable rebound effects.

KW - carbon footprint

KW - rebound effect

KW - input output analysis

KW - life cycle assessment

KW - built environment

KW - urban structure

KW - greenhouse gas emissions

KW - hiilijalanjälki

KW - kulutuksen kimmoisuusvaikutus

KW - panos-tuotos analyysi

KW - elinkaariarviointi

KW - kaupunkirakenne

KW - rakennettu ympäristö

KW - kasvihuonekaasupäästö

KW - carbon footprint

KW - rebound effect

KW - input output analysis

KW - life cycle assessment

KW - built environment

KW - urban structure

KW - greenhouse gas emissions

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

SN - 978-952-60-7088-9

T3 - Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

PB - Aalto University

ER -

Rebound effects projected onto carbon footprints - Implications for climate change mitigation in the built environment

Abstrakti

Tutkimusalat

YK:n kestävän kehityksen tavoitteet

Pääsy asiakirjaan

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