Demand-Side Carbon Reduction Under Quota Constraints: Evidence from Green Experience

Under binding carbon quota policies, demand-side interventions are increasingly recognised as complementary to conventional technological abatement. This study develops an integrated behavioural emission accounting model linking green experience investment to consumer-level carbon reduction behaviour. By embedding behavioural response elasticity within a quota-constrained framework, the model quantifies how consumption intensity changes translate into behavioural emission reduction responses. Empirical analysis indicates a nonlinear threshold effect: demand-side investment beyond a critical elasticity threshold generates disproportionate emission responses. Mediation pathways involving trust and environmental values partially explain this behavioural response, while emotional heterogeneity moderates behavioural mitigation intensity across groups. Findings demonstrate that demand-side management can serve as an auxiliary behavioural mitigation pathway under cap-based systems, provided behavioural adjustments are integrated into formal accounting structures. This study contributes to environmental policy literature by linking micro-level behavioural dynamics with system-level reduction modelling.