Energy use and carbon output by income – the summary

 

Summary

Energy use is clearly linked to income, the higher someone’s income the higher the amount of energy consumed.  The same applies to carbon output, the higher the income the higher the level of output. This is not surprising as carbon output is directly linked to energy use.

 

Data

Tonnes of carbon emitted range from 4.2 tonnes per annum for those in decile 1 to 22.3 tonnes for those in decile 10.  Energy use ranges from 100 GJ for those in decile 1 to 279 GJ for those in decile 10. 

 

 

Income	Energy use	Carbon output
Decile	Gigajoules per adult equivalent	Tonnes
1	100	4.2
2	102	5.6
3	107	7.0
4	117	7.4
5	136	8.4
6	144	9.3
7	161	10.2
8	190	11.6
9	220	14.0
10	279	22.3
Average	155.5	9.3

 

Conclusion

The link between income, energy use and carbon output is well established. The issue then becomes which is the appropriate way to reduce the impact of higher earners on both variables. Is it a question of taxes on earnings, taxes on activities that use a lot of energy, some restrictions on specific activities?

 

Source

Frey,P., & Garcia, L., (March 2022), Toll gates and money pumps: Why carbon taxation could be a simple, fair and transformative policy instrument, Autonomy.

 

Gabittis, J., (14th December 2022), Richest people in UK ‘use more energy flying’ than poorest do overall, Carbon Brief.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/richest-people-in-uk-use-more-energy-flying-than-poorest-do-overall/