Exploring the implications of lifestyle change in 2 °C mitigation scenarios using the IMAGE integrated assessment model

Most model studies focus on technical solutions in order to meet the 2 °C climate target, such as renewable, carbon capture and energy efficiency technologies. Such studies show that it becomes increasingly more difficult to attain the 2 °C target with carbon price driven technical solutions alone. This indicates the need to focus more on non-economic and non-technological drivers of energy system transformations, which are generally not explicitly included in long-term scenario studies. This study implements a set of lifestyle change measures for residential energy use, mobility and waste management in the integrated assessment model IMAGE. We analyze the implications of these lifestyle changes in a business-as-usual and 2 °C climate mitigation reference case. We find that lifestyle change measures included in this study mostly affect the end-use sectors. By 2050, the measures reduce CO2 emissions in the residential sector by about 13% and in the transport sector by about 35% compared to baseline emissions. The indirect implications in the industry and energy supply sectors were found to be negligible. In mitigation scenarios the contribution of lifestyle measures is dampened in end-use sectors as they overlap with more technical measures. Yet, as they may create opportunities to mitigate in sectors without more radical changes in (1) the energy infrastructure and (2) on the short term, it leads to a more cost-efficient mitigation strategy. Further research in how behavior can be internalized into integrated assessment studies is recommendable.