New paper alert! Carsharing rebound
Carsharing, like other sustainable alternatives, does not always deliver the environmental benefits we expect.
Rebound effects can limit expected benefits through added consumption, driven by economic and psychological mechanisms.
In our new paper, now out in Ecological Economics, we show that rebound estimates critically depend on a simple question:
What does carsharing actually displace?
Using data from Belgian carsharing users, we show that when we account for reported changes in mobility behavior, the rebound picture becomes much more heterogeneous: some users show clear environmental benefits, while others generate strong rebound or even backfire.
For us, the main takeaway is that sustainable initiatives should be evaluated not only by what they provide, but also by what existing consumption they actually replace.
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