Measuring carbon capability beyond the carbon footprint.

ABSTRACT: Meeting climate action targets requires both individual and systemic change. Behaviour change can contribute to system change through actions in the public sphere, including influence and citizenship. However, current measurement approaches, such as personal carbon footprints, emphasise individual consumption and underrepresent public-sphere contributions. This study operationalises a framework which integrates individuals' motivation and capacity to reduce emissions within broader systems of provision. We present a methodology to quantify public-sphere actions and capabilities alongside consumption behaviours, generating a comprehensive capability score. Applying this approach to a representative survey UK residents (N = 2001), we find moderate-to-low climate action capability, with the l

SUBMITTER: Ghura A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12863646 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature