Britain’s wealthiest individuals are responsible for a disproportionate share of carbon emissions—but new research suggests they also hold the key to accelerating climate action.
The study, which involved Dr Sam Hampton, Senior Researcher at the Environmental Change Institute, (ECI) was carried out by the University of Bath.
The findings, published in PLOS Climate, reveal that while the UK’s top earners are far more likely to adopt green technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps, they remain unwilling to compromise their lifestyle to cut emissions.
Alongside his research in the ECI, co-author Dr Hampton also holds a position as a Research Fellow at the University of Bath, where he is leading an ESRC-funded project seeking to understand what it will take for the diverse UK population to become more 'carbon capable'.
Dr Hampton said:
Income and consumption pretty much track for lots of things. Those who are wealthier use disproportionately more energy, they travel a lot more. And with travel, carbon footprint is especially extreme because basically flying represents such a big proportion.”
Read more on the study on the University of Bath website.
Read the study in full in PLOS Climate: Climate change and wealth: understanding and improving the carbon capability of the wealthiest people in the UK