Distributing less, redistributing more: Safe and just low-energy futures in the United Kingdom

Article Environmental Sciences

Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being

Felix Creutzig et al.

Summary: The study highlights the significant potential of demand-side measures in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and improving human well-being outcomes, with largely positive effects.

NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (2022)

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Review Psychology, Biological

Equity, technological innovation and sustainable behaviour in a low-carbon future

Benjamin K. Sovacool et al.

Summary: This review examines the impact of low-carbon technological and behavioral innovations on inequality and discusses how to ensure a sustainable and equitable low-carbon future.

NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (2022)

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Article Public Administration

A Social Policy Case for a Four-Day Week

Heejung Chung

Summary: There is a global explosion of interest in the four-day-week movement, which has the potential to address the societal challenges left by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shorter working hours can improve workers' well-being, reduce social inequality, and leverage the expertise of social policy scholars in dealing with these issues.

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL POLICY (2022)

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Article Transportation

The impact of migration background, ethnicity and social network dispersion on air and car travel in the UK

Giulio Mattioli et al.

Summary: The study finds that individuals with first-generation migration background tend to have lower car mileage but higher levels of air travel. Conversely, this effect is less pronounced or absent for more recent migrants and second- or third-generation migrants. Additionally, spatially dispersed social networks are positively associated with both air and car travel, and the relationship between migration background and air travel can be partly explained by social network dispersion.

TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIETY (2022)

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Article Energy & Fuels

Energy demand reduction options for meeting national zero-emission targets in the United Kingdom

John Barrett et al.

Summary: Research suggests that reducing energy demand can reduce reliance on carbon removal technologies, have moderate investment requirements, and increase climate ambition. National policies should prioritize energy demand reduction measures.

NATURE ENERGY (2022)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Inequality can double the energy required to secure universal decent living

Joel Millward-Hopkins

Summary: The authors of the article analyze the energy required to provide decent living for all and find that the costs of inequality outweigh those of population growth. They argue that ecological breakdown and economic inequality are major global challenges, and both issues are interrelated. The study reveals that energy costs of inequality are more significant than population growth, even fair levels of inequality can increase the energy required for universal decent living by 40%.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2022)

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Article Green & Sustainable Science & Technology

How socially just are taxes on air travel and 'frequent flyer levies'?

Milena Buchs et al.

Summary: Research shows that taxing air travel is distributionally neutral or progressive, with the most progressive option being a 'frequent air miles tax' based on both the number of flights and emissions. Some social groups, such as recent migrants, are relatively likely to be 'frequent flyers' even on lower incomes.

JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM (2022)

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Article Environmental Studies

Implications of poorly designed climate policy on energy poverty: Global reflections on the current surge in energy prices

Fateh Belaid

Summary: With the surge in energy demand and dangerously low natural gas stocks, the energy shock in the green era has exposed the vulnerabilities of premature greening of energy systems. A recent study shows that 80 million European households are struggling to stay warm, and the increasing energy costs will worsen the situation. This paper examines the impact of the energy-price boom on energy poverty in Europe and highlights the potential exacerbation of inequality and energy poverty due to poorly designed climate policies.

ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2022)

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Article Health Care Sciences & Services

Is Obesity Policy in England Fit for Purpose? Analysis of Government Strategies and Policies, 1992-2020

Dolly R. Z. Theis et al.

Summary: Government obesity policies in England have been proposed in a way that hinders implementation, lacks interventionist approaches, and places high demands on individual agency. This has contributed to the failure to effectively reduce obesity prevalence and health inequalities. Policymakers should prioritize policies that require minimal individual effort and have the potential for widespread impact to address these issues.

MILBANK QUARTERLY (2021)

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Article Environmental Sciences

'Fair' inequality, consumption and climate mitigation

Joel Millward-Hopkins et al.

Summary: Economic inequality and climate change are crucial issues, with the Global North and wealthier classes being the main drivers of global carbon emissions. Reducing income inequality can help reduce carbon footprint inequalities, but it may not significantly decrease total emissions. Recomposing consumption by reducing inequalities in household expenditure and reallocating the reductions to public services can lead to significant reductions in carbon footprint on both individual country and global levels.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS (2021)

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Article Economics

Demand response and energy justice: A critical overview of ethical risks and opportunities within digital, decentralised, and decarbonised futures

Philippa Calver et al.

Summary: The transition to a digital, decarbonised, and decentralised energy system presents risks and opportunities for domestic consumers. Domestic 'demand-side response' (DSR) can have varied and uneven consumer outcomes, impacting energy justice. Further empirical research is needed to understand how DSR can contribute to energy justice and mitigate potential risks.

ENERGY POLICY (2021)

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Article Environmental Sciences

The energy and carbon inequality corridor for a 1.5 °C compatible and just Europe

Ingram S. Jaccard et al.

Summary: The research found that the lower inequality in energy and carbon footprints in the lower deciles of households in 28 European countries is mainly due to inefficient energy and heating technologies. Adopting the best technology across Europe could save 11 EJ of net energy annually, but increase environmental footprint inequality. Achieving both the goals of sustainable living and the 1.5 degrees C target will require measures such as CCS deployment, significantly improving efficiency, and reducing the minimum final energy use per adult equivalent.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS (2021)

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Article Energy & Fuels

Characterizing the energy use of disabled people in the European Union towards inclusion in the energy transition

Diana Ivanova et al.

Summary: Ivanova and Middlemiss analyze the energy use of disabled households in the European Union, finding that on average they consume less energy and are more likely to experience energy poverty. It is important to pay more attention to the needs of disabled households to ensure a just energy transition.

NATURE ENERGY (2021)

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Article Environmental Sciences

Trends in UK meat consumption: analysis of data from years 1–11 (2008–09 to 2018–19) of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey rolling programme

Cristina Stewart et al.

Lancet Planetary Health (2021)

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Review Environmental Studies

Identifying double energy vulnerability: A systematic and narrative review of groups at-risk of energy and transport poverty in the global north

Neil Simcock et al.

Summary: The concept of 'double energy vulnerability' refers to the heightened risk of energy poverty and transport poverty simultaneously. This paper reviews academic literature to identify socio-demographic and spatial factors that contribute to this vulnerability. Findings show that certain groups such as low-income individuals, older people, households with dependents, people with health conditions or disabilities, women, and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable, while urban areas are more at risk for energy poverty and suburban areas for transport poverty, with rural areas showing the greatest vulnerability overlap.

ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2021)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

1.5°C degrowth scenarios suggest the need for new mitigation pathways

Lorenz T. Keysser et al.

Summary: The study indicates that degrowth scenarios minimize many key risks for feasibility and sustainability compared to technology-driven pathways, but substantial challenges remain regarding political feasibility. Nevertheless, degrowth pathways should be thoroughly considered.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2021)

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Article Transportation

Trends in air travel inequality in the UK: From the few to the many?

Milena Buchs et al.

Summary: In the UK, inequality in air travel participation is driven by richer, highly educated, and urban households. While disadvantaged groups have contributed to the growth of air travel in the past two decades, they are less likely to be impacted by air travel demand management policies due to the high level of inequality that still exists.

TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIETY (2021)

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Article Environmental Sciences

Decent living gaps and energy needs around the world

Jarmo S. Kikstra et al.

Summary: This study evaluates the gaps in providing decent living standards (DLS) globally and estimates the energy requirements to support DLS for all by 2040. The results suggest that the rate of increase in energy needed to provide decent living for all in the coming two decades would be unprecedented for many countries. Different countries have varying per capita energy requirements for achieving the same DLS levels, with transport energy dominating energy expenditure for decent living worldwide.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS (2021)

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Article Energy & Fuels

Urgent need for post-growth climate mitigation scenarios

Jason Hickel et al.

Summary: Post-growth approaches may offer an easier path to achieving rapid mitigation and improving social outcomes compared to traditional growth-based scenarios. Climate modellers should explore these alternatives to traditional economic growth assumptions.

NATURE ENERGY (2021)

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Article Environmental Studies

To eat and not to heat? Energy poverty and income inequality in Italian regions

Rossella Bardazzi et al.

Summary: There is a significant correlation between income poverty and energy poverty, which may be influenced by socio-economic inequalities. The relationship between economic inequality and energy poverty has been confirmed in the context of Italian regions, suggesting that comprehensive strategies implemented spatially are needed to address this issue.

ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2021)

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Article Green & Sustainable Science & Technology

Global redistribution of income and household energy footprints: a computational thought experiment

Y. Oswald et al.

Summary: Global income inequality has a direct impact on household energy consumption, influencing both the quantity and composition of overall energy demand. Incorporating income distribution into energy system models and policies is essential for addressing energy consumption disparities across different income groups.

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY (2021)

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Article Development Studies

Dispossessed by decarbonisation: Reducing vulnerability, injustice, and inequality in the lived experience of low-carbon pathways

Benjamin K. Sovacool et al.

Summary: This study examines the justice and equity implications of four low-carbon transitions and their negative impacts on vulnerable communities in Africa and Europe. It highlights tensions between European transitions and local/global justice concerns, aiming to inform energy and climate policy for more egalitarian and fair sustainability transitions.

WORLD DEVELOPMENT (2021)

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Article Economics

Road to zero or road to nowhere? Disrupting transport and energy in a zero carbon world

Christian Brand et al.

ENERGY POLICY (2020)

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Review Green & Sustainable Science & Technology

Mycoproteins as safe meat substitutes

Fataneh Hashempour-Baltork et al.

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION (2020)

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Article Energy & Fuels

Large inequality in international and intranational energy footprints between income groups and across consumption categories

Yannick Oswald et al.

NATURE ENERGY (2020)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Scientists' warning on affluence

Thomas Wiedmann et al.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2020)

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Article Environmental Studies

(Dis)United Kingdom? Potential for a common approach to energy poverty assessment

Katherine Mahoney et al.

ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2020)

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Article Environmental Sciences

Providing decent living with minimum energy: A global scenario

Joel Millward-Hopkins et al.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS (2020)

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Article Environmental Studies

Reducing inequality resulting from UK low-carbon policy

Anne Owen et al.

CLIMATE POLICY (2020)

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Editorial Material Environmental Sciences

Shift the focus from the super-poor to the super-rich

Ilona M. Otto et al.

NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (2019)

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Article Economics

Vulnerability to motor fuel price increases: Socio-spatial patterns in England

Giulio Mattioli et al.

JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY (2019)

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Article Environmental Studies

Letting the Gini out of the fuel poverty bottle? Correlating cold homes and income inequality in European Union countries

Ray Galvin

ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2019)

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Article Public, Environmental & Occupational Health

Meeting UK dietary recommendations is associated with higher estimated consumer food costs: an analysis using the National Diet and Nutrition Survey and consumer expenditure data, 2008-2012

Nicholas R. V. Jones et al.

PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION (2018)

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Review Medicine, General & Internal

Equity impacts of price policies to promote healthy behaviours

Franco Sassi et al.

LANCET (2018)

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Article Energy & Fuels

A low energy demand scenario for meeting the 1.5°C target and sustainable development goals without negative emission technologies

Arnulf Grubler et al.

NATURE ENERGY (2018)

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Article Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary

Decent Living Standards: Material Prerequisites for Human Wellbeing

Narasimha D. Rao et al.

SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH (2018)

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Article Food Science & Technology

Potential of Meat Substitutes for Climate Change Mitigation and Improved Human Health in High-Income Markets

Hannah Ritchie et al.

FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS (2018)

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Review Medicine, General & Internal

Income and obesity: what is the direction of the relationship? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Tae Jun Kim et al.

BMJ OPEN (2018)

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Article Economics

Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

Charlie Wilson et al.

ENERGY POLICY (2017)

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Article Economics

Vulnerability and resistance in the United Kingdom's smart meter transition

Benjamin K. Sovacool et al.

ENERGY POLICY (2017)

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Article Economics

Spatializing energy justice

Stefan Bouzarovski et al.

ENERGY POLICY (2017)

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Article Ecology

A Framework for Decoupling Human Need Satisfaction From Energy Use

Lina I. Brand-Correa et al.

ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS (2017)

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Article Social Issues

A critical analysis of the new politics of fuel poverty in England

Lucie Middlemiss

CRITICAL SOCIAL POLICY (2017)

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Article Energy & Fuels

All about size? - The potential of downsizing in reducing energy demand

Gesche M. Huebner et al.

APPLIED ENERGY (2017)

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Review Environmental Sciences

Biophysical and economic limits to negative CO2 emissions

Pete Smith et al.

NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (2016)

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Plating up solutions

Tara Garnett

SCIENCE (2016)

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Article Medicine, General & Internal

Why Are Some Population Interventions for Diet and Obesity More Equitable and Effective Than Others? The Role of Individual Agency

Jean Adams et al.

PLOS MEDICINE (2016)

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Article Environmental Sciences

Associations between air pollution and socioeconomic characteristics, ethnicity and age profile of neighbourhoods in England and the Netherlands

Daniela Fecht et al.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (2015)

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Article Environmental Studies

Relative housing space inequality in England and Wales, and its recent rapid resurgence

Becky Tunstall

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOUSING POLICY (2015)

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Article Environmental Studies

Justice, fuel poverty and disabled people in England

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ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2015)

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Article Economics

Climate change and sustainable welfare: the centrality of human needs

Ian Gough

CAMBRIDGE JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS (2015)

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Article Environmental Studies

Fuel poverty from the bottom-up: Characterising household energy vulnerability through the lived experience of the fuel poor

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ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE (2015)

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Article Economics

Design of incentive programs for accelerating penetration of energy-efficient appliances

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ENERGY POLICY (2014)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

The Growing Price Gap between More and Less Healthy Foods: Analysis of a Novel Longitudinal UK Dataset

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PLOS ONE (2014)

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Editorial Material Environmental Sciences

COMMENTARY: Betting on negative emissions

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Decent Living Emissions: A Conceptual Framework

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Distributing less, redistributing more: Safe and just low-energy futures in the United Kingdom

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