Who to target? Although climate change is complex, the essential foundation of tackling it - behaviour change to use less energy - is quite simple. But messages about what types of behaviour change, by whom, supported how, to get the most impact in the short time, are not. Higher- income people and households are responsible for higher per capita emissions than those with lower-incomes (see section 2.3), but there are more low-income households in Manchester than high-income ones. Lower-income people are generally more likely to live in badly insulated homes; higher-income people to use more energy through the expenditure of disposable income (on holidays, durable goods, imported luxury foods, etc) and to be less financially sensitive to the energy efficiency of their houses. People living in low-density suburban locations may be less readily able to reduce their car use; yet high-density city living is often seen as the preserve of those on high incomes with greater flexibility on location.

Email this to a friend.
Previous item — Next item.