Decent Living Energy Project

There is confusion surrounding how poverty eradication will contribute to climate change. This is due to knowledge gaps related to the material basis of poverty, and the relationship between energy and human development.

Project Description

This project develops a body of knowledge and model framework to quantify the energy needs and related climate change impacts of eradicating poverty and providing decent living standards to all in major emerging economies, such as India, Brazil, South Africa and others. The research will address three questions. Which goods and services, and with what characteristics, constitute 'decent living standards'? What energy resources are required to provide these goods and services in different countries, and what impact will this energy use have on climate change? How do the constituents of decent living and their energy needs evolve as countries develop? This research will identify opportunities to shift developing societies towards low-carbon pathways, and substantiate countries' claims for 'carbon space' for development.

Figure 1. State of the art (green) and the 'Decent Living Energy' (blue) approach to assessing the greenhouse gas impacts of poverty eradication.

Project Method

The project is highly interdisciplinary, with different work streams employing different methods. The project includes household energy and carbon footprinting using lifecycle and input-output analysis; normative analysis of the constituents of decent living using expert elicitation, empirical analysis of historical consumption patterns; econometric and statistics analysis of household consumption drivers; integrated assessment modeling to develop emissions pathways related to 'decent living'.