Carbon Footprint Apps as Catalysts for Climate-Friendly Behavioural Change: Insights from Citizen Science Experiments

Several personalized carbon footprint and lifestyle calculators have been developed that can be accessed via a web browser or smartphone applications to raise awareness and educate individuals on promoting sustainable behavioural change. This study uses citizens in an experimental setting in Hasselt (Belgium) (n=55) and Karachi (Pakistan) (n=65) to develop further insights about the capabilities of five largely used smartphone-based applications. These applications are Earth Hero, Klima, Yayzy, Carbon Neutral & CO2 Meter, and 2zero-Sustainable Living. Citizens are invited to download a particular app on their smartphone, and other details of the experiment are provided in an initial workshop. For example, a timeframe of three months is given for the app to be used regularly for at least 10 minutes per day. After three months, participants were invited again to workshops, where a structured discussion was held in a focus group setting to understand the behavioural change capabilities of a particular app.  Participants from Hasselt (Belgium) and Karachi (Pakistan) exhibited diverse responses due to socio-cultural, economic, and infrastructural differences, highlighting the contextual adaptability of each application. EarthHero and Klima, which emphasized actionable sustainability tips, resonated well with users seeking direct and practical interventions. After three months, the structured focus group discussions revealed marginal behavioural change patterns, such as increased awareness of personal carbon footprints, reduced energy consumption, and shifts toward eco-friendly habits like public transport use or waste reduction. These changes were more pronounced among participants in Belgium than in Karachi, mainly due to the limited availability of sustainable alternatives. An issue of access to reliable local data has emerged, especially in Karachi, for quantifying footprint. Participants requested more user engagement features in the apps that increase peer interactions, such as leaderboard, community formation, etc. The findings could provide valuable insights into the role of technology in sustainability education, offering recommendations for app developers to improve user engagement and for policymakers to integrate such tools into broader environmental awareness campaigns.