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The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions

Nielsen, Kristian S. ; Nicholas, Kimberly A. LU orcid ; Creutzig, Felix ; Dietz, Thomas and Stern, Paul C. (2021) In Nature Energy 6(11). p.1011-1016
Abstract

People with high socioeconomic status disproportionally affect energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions directly through their consumption and indirectly through their financial and social resources. However, few climate change mitigation initiatives have targeted this population segment, and the potential of such initiatives remains insufficiently researched. In this Perspective, we analyse key characteristics of high-socioeconomic-status people and explore five roles through which they have a disproportionate impact on energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions and potentially on climate change mitigation, namely as consumers, investors, role models, organizational participants and citizens. We examine what is known about their... (More)

People with high socioeconomic status disproportionally affect energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions directly through their consumption and indirectly through their financial and social resources. However, few climate change mitigation initiatives have targeted this population segment, and the potential of such initiatives remains insufficiently researched. In this Perspective, we analyse key characteristics of high-socioeconomic-status people and explore five roles through which they have a disproportionate impact on energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions and potentially on climate change mitigation, namely as consumers, investors, role models, organizational participants and citizens. We examine what is known about their disproportionate impact via consumption and explore their potential influence on greenhouse gas emissions through all five roles. We suggest that future research should focus on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by high-socioeconomic-status people and to align their investments, organizational choices and actions as social and political change agents with climate change mitigation goals.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Energy
volume
6
issue
11
pages
1011 - 1016
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85116368070
ISSN
2058-7546
DOI
10.1038/s41560-021-00900-y
project
Climate solutions
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Springer Nature Limited.
id
fb7fc74f-8e2c-46d3-85f2-606b4e1b3c13
date added to LUP
2021-10-28 15:16:56
date last changed
2023-09-13 04:18:31
@article{fb7fc74f-8e2c-46d3-85f2-606b4e1b3c13,
  abstract     = {{<p>People with high socioeconomic status disproportionally affect energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions directly through their consumption and indirectly through their financial and social resources. However, few climate change mitigation initiatives have targeted this population segment, and the potential of such initiatives remains insufficiently researched. In this Perspective, we analyse key characteristics of high-socioeconomic-status people and explore five roles through which they have a disproportionate impact on energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions and potentially on climate change mitigation, namely as consumers, investors, role models, organizational participants and citizens. We examine what is known about their disproportionate impact via consumption and explore their potential influence on greenhouse gas emissions through all five roles. We suggest that future research should focus on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by high-socioeconomic-status people and to align their investments, organizational choices and actions as social and political change agents with climate change mitigation goals.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nielsen, Kristian S. and Nicholas, Kimberly A. and Creutzig, Felix and Dietz, Thomas and Stern, Paul C.}},
  issn         = {{2058-7546}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{1011--1016}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Energy}},
  title        = {{The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00900-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41560-021-00900-y}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}