Energy inequalities between different income groups

Energy inequalities between different income groups

Key words:Solar power.energy.EVs.Green Power Inverter.Battey.

In a study of income class and energy consumption, the top 10% of the population consumed about 20 times more energy than the bottom 10%.

Moreover, as income increases, people spend more money on energy-intensive goods, such as holiday packages or cars, resulting in a high degree of energy inequality.In fact, the researchers found that the top 10 percent of consumers used 187 times more automotive fuel energy than the bottom 10 percent.

Transport shows some of the most serious inequalities, with the top 10% of consumers using more than half of the mobile-related energy -- and the vast majority of them are based on fossil fuels.

"Consumer categories related to transportation are the most unfair.Research shows that without reducing the energy demand for these services, both our fossil fuel consumption in transportation will increase in revenue and wealth by taxing frequent flying passengers, promoting public transport and limiting the use of private cars, or through alternative technologies such as electric vehicles."

Energy inequalities between countries

The study highlights the unequal distribution of energy footprints between countries, with 20% of UK citizens belonging to the top 5% of energy consumers, plus 40% of German citizens and 100% of the Luxembourg population.

Meanwhile, only 2% of China's population is in the top 5% of energy consumers, while India has only 0.02% of the population.

The per capita energy consumption of the poorest 20% of Britain's population is still more than five times higher than the bottom 84% of India, or around a billion people.

"Growth and increasing consumption remain the core of today's political and economic goals.By reducing demand, the transition to zero-carbon energy will become even easier, meaning that top consumers will play an important role in reducing their excess energy consumption."

The authors warn that without reducing consumption and adopting major policy interventions, the energy footprint could double by 2050 from 2011, even if energy efficiency improves.

Given the consumption categories examined, vehicle fuel alone could increase by 31%, and heating and electricity could by 33%.If transport continues to rely on fossil fuels, this growth will hurt the climate.