Ensuring a decent quality of life for all is an essential aim of any socially and ecologically sustainable future. At present, no country is currently achieving both high levels of social performance, whilst remaining within the boundaries of the biosphere’s resources. This project aims to explore the relationship between low energy demand futures and a socially just transition. This involves understanding the extent to which inequality reduction is contained within narratives of the climate transition, modelling the impact of consumption inequality reduction in the UK on the climate transition, and examining how inequality in energy service demands affects climate scenarios that rely on energy demand reduction.
Equitable low energy future
Photo by Alessandro Bianchi on Unsplash
Project overview
Key objectives
The project aim is to understand the possibility of creating a low energy demand pathway that is achieving in an equitable manner. Ultimately, the failure to deliver an equitable transition could mean a failure to deliver substantial levels of energy demand reduction to meet our climate ambitions.
Methods and approaches
The project uses a mixed method approach that combines a rapid evidence assessment, quantitative modelling using a multi-regional input output model and combining this with statistics on household consumption. The project also employs scenario modelling techniques.
Key findings
There are pathways that can ensure that energy demand reductions can be fair and equitable. In fact, the dual goals are well aligned, and a range of policy are available to deliver.
Next steps/Future work
The project will produce three academic papers and summarises of these key findings for policy audiences.
