Climate Change and the Consumers' Willingness to Pay

Organization

Consumers Council of Canada (CCC)

Published

2004

Summary

The Consumers Council of Canada engaged consulting firm, The Summerhill Group, to carry out research on the Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Climate Change. The research concluded that consumers were not aware of the government's plan to implement the Kyoto Accord, that specific market barriers existed in the implementation of the Accord, and that these barriers need to be removed in order to achieve the goals of the Kyoto Accord implementation plan. The critical differentiation between a successful campaign with consumers reducing their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions and a non-successful campaign will be directly related to consumers' willingness to pay (WTP). This means not just what they would hypothetically be willing to pay, but what they will actually pay when they are standing in front of the cash register at their local retailer. The report finds that consumers are not aware of Canada's Climate Change Plan or the One-Tonne Challenge and not willing to pay the premium for energy efficient products. The report stresses the need for increased consumer access to market information about energy efficient and environmentally friendly products.

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OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

Contact information

Source: Consumer Policy Research Database