Prof. Yael Parag, Vice Dean of the School of Sustainability, spent the months of September and October 2022 at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford as a guest researcher of CREDS - Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions.
The researchers at CREDS focus on several questions such as:
- How can the energy demand side promote the achievement of the goal of carbon zero and net-zero?
- How can we reduce consumption and promote energy efficiency without sacrificing our quality of life and well-being?
- How can the issue of energy poverty be solved (i.e., people who cannot afford to heat their homes)?
These questions are especially relevant now that Europeans are going through a very harsh winter and that the extremely high energy prices make it particularly difficult for them to heat their homes to a satisfying level.
As part of the visit, Prof. Parag took an active part in the CREDS webinar about Realistically Radical Policy Options. The webinar presented various ideas to quickly reduce carbon emissions while making sure it is done in a socially fair manner - ideas that may be considered radical today, but in view of the threats posed by Climate Change, they are relevant and worth developing.
The speakers were all part of the authors of the report “1.5 Degrees Lifestyle: Towards a Fair Consumption Space for All.
“I introduced the idea of a Personal Carbon Allowance (PCA) policy, which I have been researching for more than a decade with my partner Dr. Tina Post from Oxford University.
This policy aims to reduce emissions from the household sector, which is responsible for about 40-50% of total national emissions (depending on the country). Despite this data, up to date, there is still no policy requiring the reduction of emission in this sector. According to the PCA policy, each resident will receive an annual quota of Carbon Units, which he will have to offset every time he uses electricity, gas, private transportation, or flights, as a function of the total amount of carbon emitted. At the end of the year, people who lead an energy-saving lifestyle will have Carbon Units left to sell on the Personal Carbon Market, while those who consume a lot of energy will have to buy additional units. As such, the Personal Carbon Budget will decrease over the years, in accordance with the country's reduction policy.
The implementation of such a policy is expected to increase the households’ need for low-carbon energy alternatives. This need will consequently lead to innovative solutions in the field and stimulate the market of low-carbon alternatives”, explained Prof. Parag.
