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The carbon #inequality in the EU is staggering. This reflects inequality of consumption and access to basic services, but also inequality in the capacity to avoid/improve consumption carbon footprints. New paper ALERT by @RichardW_ntnu and me @CambUP_GSus! https://tinyurl.com/ybjs26ak
Imagine EU's emissions in the form of a BIG pile of waste. Just 10% of the region's population make more waste than 50% of the population. Where the biggest 1% wasters make 22 times more waste than their allowance. That is, the per capita allowance to stay within 1.5°C.
Only 5% of the EU currently live within the allowance, with footprints below 2.5 tCO2eq/cap. There is an obvious mismatch between current levels of consumption and the carbon targets. Accordingly, we need to decarbonize and prioritize consumption directly supporting human needs.
The most significant contribution among the highest emitters is from air and land transport, with 41% and 21% among the top 1% of EU households. Air transport is by far the most income-elastic, unequal and carbon-intensive consumption category in our study.
Package holidays and air transport are luxury items with high energy intensity (see also Oswald et al @JKSteinberger @dr_anneowen https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-0579-8).
Yet air travel receives extremely low political attention (see also Dubois et al @baltrusz https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629618310314). Except for bailouts. This lack of policy focus on the polluting activities of wealthy actors raises substantial ethical and equity concerns.
In Leeds, the Citizens’ Jury recommended the rejection of the planned Leeds Bradford Airport expansion. Application is still ongoing with a final week to submit objections, see @GfAoLBA
Car travel is another driver for the highest emitters, yet also important for the lowest spenders in the EU. Equity considerations in transport policy are key! Tackling car dependence and the structural barriers to a transformative change is needed, e.g. see @giulio_mattioli
While income is a strong driving force behind carbon footprints, there is a wide variation of carbon footprints at fixed incomes. See below for the countries with the highest carbon efficiency per income level in the EU.
We need to decarbonize and prioritize consumption directly supporting human needs. Particularly downscale consumption and production of (embodied) fossil fuels. Decent levels of physical requirements and social requirements for well-being is key for a fair climate policy. /end
