NEW YORK, NY – Amid growing concerns about climate change, there is broad global consensus that action to combat climate change is necessary. However, understanding which actions and behaviors effectively reduce carbon footprints—and identifying the most climate-friendly companies and industries— is crucial for building a sustainable future. Despite positive intentions, a new study from Columbia Business School reveals that most people consistently make poor sustainable choices. This suggests that while individuals aspire to be climate-friendly, they often lack the necessary background knowledge to do so reliably.
The new study, Widespread Misestimates of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Suggest Low Carbon Competence, co-authored by Columbia Business School Professors Eric Johnson, Vicki Morwitz, Gita Johar, and Michael Morris, and doctoral student Eli Sugerman '25, highlights the challenges consumers, governments, and industries all face in aligning their sustainability intentions with impactful actions. The study shows that individuals tend to believe the climate actions they hear about most frequently are the most effective, even though these actions may have limited impact in reversing climate trends. This behavior, known as “attribute substitution,” is when consumers simplify complex tasks — such as estimating emissions — by substituting easier-to-assess, but often less relevant factors. For instance, a consumer might select a brightly colored cleaning product marketed as “eco-friendly” because of its appealing design and marketing, while overlooking that its production process is harmful to the environment. This makes consumers more vulnerable to corporate greenwashing, allowing companies that exaggerate their eco-friendliness to thrive while genuinely sustainable businesses may struggle to compete.
“Intentions alone won't solve the climate crisis,” said Professor Eric Johnson, the Norman Eig Professor of Business and Director of the Center for the Decision Sciences at Columbia Business School. “While many people genuinely want to reduce their carbon footprint, they often lack the knowledge to make effective choices and may inadvertently engage in counterproductive actions. We must address this critical knowledge gap to transform environmental concern into impactful behavior change.”
For this study, the researchers developed five quizzes to assess participants’ carbon competence. In Study 1, participants ranked behaviors based on their potential to cut carbon emissions. For Studies 2, 3, and 4, they ranked 27 companies and seven industries in order of their emissions output. Study 5 examined a contributing factor for these results, attribute substitution. Studies 1 through 4 involved nearly 2,000 participants across the United States representing diverse ages, genders, and ethnicities. Study 5 was sent to nearly 300 additional participants, including social media users, climate conference attendees, and Columbia Business School’s magazine readers. Overall the findings indicate, that consumers struggle to accurately assess emissions due to a lack of relevant information and expertise. The researchers found that consumers tend to evaluate emissions based on easier-to-assess attributes—attribute substitution—often leading them to overestimate the effectiveness of commonly discussed behaviors, such as recycling, which ranked lowest in actual climate mitigation impact.
Additional Findings Include:
- Only Conservation Experts Could Accurately Judge Emissions – In assessing various traits—such as political ideology, environmental concern, and self-reported knowledge—the researchers found that only conservation experts could reliably rank carbon emissions on their quizzes.
- People Also Misestimate Effective Climate Policies – The research highlights that people often misjudge the effectiveness of climate policies. For instance, they tend to favor less effective measures, such as reducing methane emissions, while undervaluing more impactful strategies, like enhancing vehicle energy efficiency.
“Governments and climate-friendly businesses must collaborate to address the climate knowledge gap, empowering consumers to understand which actions genuinely benefit the environment,” added Professor Eric Johnson.
To learn more about the cutting-edge research being conducted, please visit Columbia Business School.
###
