Chapter 2: Emissions Trends and Drivers
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2.6 Behavioural Choices and Lifestyles
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2.6.2 Factors Affecting Household Consumption Patterns and Behavioural Choices
Demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and education constitute an important set of determinants influencing emissions patterns. People of different genders have different consumption patterns. For example, men tend to consume more food (especially meat) than women, leading to higher food-related emissions. Also, men spend more money on vehicles and driving (Wang et al. 2018). Similar evidence has been found in Germany, Greece, Norway, and Sweden, where men’s energy use is 8%, 39%, 6%, and 22% higher than women’s, respectively (Räty and Carlsson-Kanyama 2010).
2.9 Knowledge Gaps
Understanding of how inequality affects emissions is in a nascent stage. Less is known about the causal mechanisms by which different dimensions of inequality – such as income, socio-economic, spatial, socio-cultural-gender and ethnicity – affect emissions. In particular, limited knowledge exists on the linkages between dimensions of inequality other than income or wealth and emissions arising from different service demands. Research gaps are apparent on how inequalities in living standards relate to emissions and how changes in inequalities between genders, social groups, and other marginalised communities impact emissions trends.
