New research shows that the UK’s richest 10% emit twice as much carbon at home as the poorest 10%
A new study undertaken by the Centre for Sustainable Energy for Defra shows that the UK’s richest 10% of the population produce double the amount of carbon emissions from their energy use at home as the poorest 10%.
[UKPRwire, Wed Sep 05 2007] The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) has undertaken new analysis of government data that confirms a relationship between household income and household energy consumption and hence carbon emissions. The work was carried out as part of a larger study by CSE for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The research shows that the poorest 10% of the population are causing less than half of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the richest 10% from energy use in their homes. However, the analysis also reveals a significant proportion of lower income households – a many as 1 in 10 of all households – that have emissions as high as many richer households.
CSE’s research team reviewed fuel expenditure and payment method data from the national Expenditure and Food Survey (2004-05). This was then combined with detailed data on fuel prices at the time of the household survey, enabling the energy consumption (and hence carbon emissions) to be calculated for each of the nearly 7,000 households in the survey. Income and other demographic and household data collected in the EFS can then reveal more about the relationships between household emissions and other factors.
Joshua Thumim, CSE’s Head of Research, said:
“It is really important to understand more about the social distribution of energy consumption and carbon emissions and how this is affected by different policies designed to address carbon emissions.
This initial analysis opens the way to much more detailed modelling in future of policy options to reveal how their costs and benefits impact on different types of household.”
The analysis was undertaken to inform a study for Defra on the potential social impacts of the proposed Household Energy Supplier Obligation. The report of this study – including the distribution analysis – can be downloaded here www.cse.org.uk/pdf/pub1085.pdf
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Notes to editors:
1. For help with more information or to set up an interview with Simon Roberts (Chief Executive of CSE and author of the study report) or Joshua Thumim (CSE’s Head of Research) please contact Andreea Petre-Goncalves on andreea@cse.org.uk or 0117 934 0934
2. CSE is a leading charity advancing promoting sustainable energy policy and practice – see www.cse.org.uk for more information
3. The analysis is part of CSE’s wider report on the possible social impacts of a Household Energy Supplier Obligation, published by Defra in August 2007. For more information on the Household Supplier Obligation, see http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/household/supplier/index.htm
4. The project team was assisted by Angela Druckman, Research Fellow on the RESOLVE programme at the University of Surrey (see www.surrey.ac.uk/ces) for the initial analysis and data extraction of the Expenditure and Food Survey which underpins this study.
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