Suomalaisten vapaa-ajan matkustajien suhtautuminen hiilidioksidipäästöjen vapaaehtoiseen kompensointiin
Keywords:
leisure air travel, carbon dioxide emissions, consumer behaviour, green consumerism, voluntary carbon offsettingAbstract
Finnish leisure air-travellers’ attitudes towards voluntary carbon offsetting
This article examines attitudes Finnish leisure air travellers have towards voluntary carbon offsetting (VCO) of CO2 emissions, and their willingness to pay for offsetting. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire. Most participants were aware of VCO programs, and their attitudes towards voluntary CO2 offsetting were more positive than negative. However, only a few reported contributing monetarily to VCO programs. The more environmentally conscious the respondents were, the more likely they were to have a positive perception of voluntary carbon offsetting. Environmentally friendly attitudes in terms of consumerism and knowledge concerning environmental prob-lems do not, however, guarantee environmentally conscious behaviour, as an attitude-behaviour gap can be seen in the actions of green consumers. Consumers defend their environmentally harmful behaviour, such as leisure flights, and refusal to voluntarily offset subsequent CO2 emissions, mainly through methods of transferring the responsibility for offsetting to other actors, such as governments and airlines. Consumers are likewise down-playing the negative impacts of their leisure flights, as well as belittling the usefulness of offsetting methods available to the consumer. More openness in terms of the voluntary carbon offsetting programs is needed to gain more support from leisure air travellers.
