- What would you opt for, Marta?

- I’d probably do something about the way my house is heated. And perhaps travel less by air, even though it hurts to think about it.

- What does HOPE, your project name, stand for?

- The full project name is “Household Preferences for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in four European high income countries”. We say “preferences” because we are looking to find out how people would prefer to approach carbon cuts in their own homes, given that they have to reduce emissions somehow. Some people are probably going to want to take the bus or cycle more, whereas others will prefer to do something about their food – such as buying locally-produced food, buying less red meat and throwing away less edible food. The short name, “HOPE” also carries an element of hope in the sense that the climate crisis is a problem that humanity is able to solve.

- What is the purpose of HOPE?

- In short, we are interested in examining what type of climate and environmental measures people wish to implement in their homes, given that they are compelled to do something. One might try to imagine that legislation to reduce one’s emissions by fifty per cent was introduced. Where would you start if you had to cut something, somewhere in your house or private life? That is what we are trying to find out.

- Why is this important?

- In the long run, the climate policy both in Norway and in the EU is going to demand significant carbon cuts. If we are going to have any chance of reaching these goals, all of society needs to contribute – including private households. That means you and I!

- Could you give me some examples of what people can do?

- People might want to look critically at what they eat, how they live or build their houses, how they travel and at the things they buy and throw away. Next to travel, which represents a huge part of the emissions we contribute to, there is the category we could call TTC – this and that from China. Just look at how often people redo their kitchens these days in certain countries. The use of equipment for leisure activities such as skiing and exercise has exploded in recent years. We own more things, we replace them more rapidly, and the big loser is the climate.

- How much would people need to do differently in their households or lives in order for future climate goals to be reached?

- At the very least, society needs to cut emissions by 50 per cent if we are to fulfil the current ambitions of the EU Commission. The question is, who should carry out the required cuts? So far, climate policy has mainly targeted industry, but in this project, we explore the potential for including private households – our homes – in the climate policies of the years to come. At some point, politicians will have to look at the ways in which people can contribute.

- Who are you going to interview?

- We are going to interview household members in four cities: Bergen, Umeå in Sweden, Mannheim in Germany and Aix-en-Provence in France. We do this through three visits. First, we need to map the emissions each household causes. Next, we simulate cuts by going through a list of climate measures with them. Finally, we meet with them again to talk more about their thoughts and wishes when it comes to cutting emissions from their households. They are not in any way expected to implement these measures as part of the research project.

- And who are the researchers?

- A diverse team of sociologists, political scientists, industrial ecologists and medical scientists. The project is led by German public health researchers at the University of Heidelberg. They are particularly interested in the positive health effects of cutting climate emissions. There tends to be an overlap in that cycling is both better for the climate and for your body, as is the case if you substitute red meat with other sources of protein.

- What is going to be the outcome of the project?

- Decision-makers in Norway as well as in the European Union need to know whether different types of measures work or not and how people feel about implementing them at home. They might just be surprised to learn what people are willing to do to contribute.

Marta Baltruszewicz is a Sociologist and Industrial Ecologist with Master’s degrees from NTNU and the University of Warsaw. She grew up in Poland and has been a researcher at Western Norway Research Institute since 2014.