Abstract

The transition towards sustainable behaviors is a crucial step in mitigating climate change. However, individuals are often poorly informed about the consequences of their actions, especially in contexts in which it is not obvious what is the ‘right thing’ to do. This study reports evidence from a field experiment on Internet data consumption. Evidence from a survey we conduct shows that most of smartphone users lack knowledge about the environmental advantages of Wi-Fi networks relative to mobile ones (e.g., 4/5G). We design and test two behavioral interventions aiming at informing users about the consequences of their consumption choices and shifting Internet data consumed on mobile to Wi-Fi networks. Results show that information alone is not sufficient to produce a change in consumption levels. However, when combined with personal goals, we observe a significant and persistent effect. Such a cost-effective solution can potentially reduce Co2 emissions by 2.4 kg per year/person, remarking the advantages of behavioral tools for policymaking.