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Design+

ARTICLE
Beyond carbon credits and green certificates:

Designing a climate-change awareness club for
new automobile buyers

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Robert Donovan , Kriti Gupta , Allan Liang , and Ben T. Yu *
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1 DriveNulle, United States of America
2 DriveNulle, India
3 DriveNulle, China
4 International Regional Development, United States of America

Abstract

Initiatives like carbon credits are not sufficient for addressing climate change, particularly
if reliance is placed solely on corporations. This study proposes a grassroots initiative
in which new automobile buyers join a club that fosters conscious environmental
responsibilities through a symbolic declaration of their commitment, and also creating
a personal identity. The suggested approach will not only create new sustainable
values but also enhance the quality of life by supporting integration into emerging
*Corresponding author: environmental ecosystems of consumption and production. By embedding persuasion
Ben T. Yu, PhD using behavioral economics, these changes can be achieved by nudging fossil fuel car
(irdpt@yahoo.com)
buyers using creative marketing strategies and well-designed, recognizable products.
Citation: Donovan R, Gupta K,
Liang A, Yu BT. Beyond carbon
credits and green certificates: Keywords: Climate change; Carbon footprint; Internal combustion engine cars;
Designing a climate-change
awareness club for new Sustainable choices; Grassroots initiatives
automobile buyers. Design+.
2025;2(3):025100013.
doi: 10.36922/DP025100013
Received: March 6, 2025 1. Introduction
1st revised: July 4, 2025 The world is experiencing unprecedented environmental changes. Climate change is no
2nd revised: July 15, 2025 longer dismissed as a hoax or conspiracy theory perpetuated by nihilists seeking to elicit
public panic. According to a report by the World Resources Institute, forest fires are
Accepted: July 16, 2025
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worsening. Fire plays a crucial role in natural regenerative and terrestrial ecosystems,
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Published online: August 5, 2025 and many plant species rely on forest fire for regeneration and seed dispersal. However,
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). contemporary shifts in climate are affecting wildfire activity, signaling a pyrogeographical
This is an Open-Access article shift in wildfires due to changing weather conditions. Additionally, the intensity and
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distributed under the terms impact of hurricanes are increasing as a result of rising sea surface temperatures—a
of the Creative Commons
4
AttributionNoncommercial License, direct result of climate change. An article by the Environmental Defense Fund notes
permitting all non-commercial use, that the most damaging United States hurricanes now occur three times more frequently
distribution, and reproduction in any than a century ago, and the proportion of major hurricanes (Category 3 or above) in the
medium, provided the original work
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is properly cited. Atlantic Ocean has doubled since 1980. The 2024 hurricane, Helene, directly impacted
one of the authors of this paper. The visual evidence of its devastation far surpassed what
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with statistics alone can convey.
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional In response to climate change, businesses and governments have been exploring
affiliations. different strategies. One of the most prevalent and popular strategies is buying carbon
Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/DP025100013