A Masterclass in Structural Incentive Design Category: Transport & Mobility | ChangePoints Score: 80/100 The Problem: EVs as a Niche Product in a Car-Dependent Culture In 2011, Norway’s EV market share sat at approximately 1%. This was not dramatically different from other wealthy European nations. Electric vehicles were expensive, had limited range, lacked charging infrastructure, and occupied a … Read more
Feedback Without Follow-Through Category: Water Conservation | ChangePoints Score: 36/100 The Problem: A City Consuming More Than It Could Afford To Zaragoza, in the semi-arid Ebro basin of northeastern Spain, has a water problem that is as much structural as behavioral. Average annual rainfall is low, the Ebro catchment is under sustained pressure from agricultural abstraction, and climate … Read more
Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough Category: Energy & Emissions | ChangePoints Score: 20/100 The Problem: A Silent Crisis in Plain Sight In Sub-Saharan Africa, indoor air pollution from open-fire cooking is responsible for more deaths per year than malaria. In Ethiopia specifically, at the turn of the 2000s, approximately 95% of rural households relied on open fires or … Read more
Category: Waste & Circular Economy | ChangePoints Score: 90/100 The Problem: A Billion Bags and a Culture Built Around Convenience At the turn of the millennium, Ireland was producing approximately 1.2 billion plastic bags per year. These were not unusual numbers for a Western European country of that size — they were, in fact, fairly typical. Plastic bags … Read more
The Default That Warmed 3 Million Homes Category: Energy & Emissions | ChangePoints Score: 62/100 The Problem: Eligible Households Going Cold While Help Sat Unclaimed Before 2011, the UK government’s primary mechanism for helping low-income households with fuel costs was relatively simple: a rebate existed, and if you knew about it, qualified for it, and managed to apply … Read more