Conference Agenda

In this paper, we estimate the causal effect of improving consumers’ climate impact knowledge on food purchases and associated emissions. In collaboration with Norway’s largest grocery chain, we implement a randomized information intervention in a survey of almost 7,000 individuals, in which we update the treatment group’s knowledge about the climate impacts of beef and other substitutes (including plant-based alternatives).

We then link respondents to loyalty-card scanner data from the same retailer, covering nearly two years around the intervention. This design allows us to measure (i) baseline climate-impact knowledge, (ii) the causal effect of improved knowledge on stated purchase intentions in the survey, and (iii) the causal effect of improved knowledge on actual grocery purchases over several months after the intervention.

We document widespread underestimation of beef’s emissions: fewer than 1% of respondents correctly assess its climate impact relative to substitutes such as pork, poultry, or plant-based alternatives. The information treatment improves treated respondents’ knowledge and increases stated intentions to shift toward lower-emission options, particularly plant-based alternatives. In the transaction data, the treatment leads to a statistically and economically significant reduction in beef consumption and associated emissions over the subsequent five months.