The association between the carbon footprint and the socio-economic characteristics of Belgian households

Abstract: Understanding the demand-side drivers and the distribution of greenhouse gas emissions is key to designing fair and effective environmental policies. In this study, we quantify the relationship between the carbon footprint of consumption and socio-economic characteristics of Belgian households. We use a dataset that combines household-level consumption data with an environmentally extended input-output model which quantifies the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in the supply chain of goods and services that households consume. We find that income and household size are the most impo... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Levay, Petra
Vanhille, Josefine
Goedemé, Tim
Verbist, Gerlinde
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Schlagwörter: Sociology / Economics / Chemistry / Biology
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27302947
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1774500151162165141

Abstract: Understanding the demand-side drivers and the distribution of greenhouse gas emissions is key to designing fair and effective environmental policies. In this study, we quantify the relationship between the carbon footprint of consumption and socio-economic characteristics of Belgian households. We use a dataset that combines household-level consumption data with an environmentally extended input-output model which quantifies the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in the supply chain of goods and services that households consume. We find that income and household size are the most important determinants of household consumption-related emissions. We also find the emission intensity of household consumption in the lower part of the income distribution is higher than that of richer households because poorer households spend a higher share on emission intensive products, especially energy.