IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i10p2375-d1394885.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Consumption-Based Energy Footprints in Iceland: High and Equally Distributed

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Kristín Einarsdóttir

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland)

  • Gereon tho Pesch

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Law and Economics, University of Bonn, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Kevin Joseph Dillman

    (Environment and Natural Resources, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland)

  • Marta Rós Karlsdóttir

    (Baseload Power Iceland ehf., Katrínartún 2, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland)

  • Jukka Heinonen

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland)

Abstract

With the urgent global need to limit warming to 2 °C as well as a localized need in our case study to address rising energy demand amid electrical and thermal network limitations, a critical examination of demand-side energy reductions and the concept of energy sufficiency is needed. This paper contributes to the sparse literature on bottom-up analysis by utilizing Iceland—a leader in renewable energy generation—as a case study to explore the socio-economic factors influencing energy footprints. Our findings reveal significant energy footprints across various consumption domains, particularly housing and mobility, influenced by income levels, urbanization, and lifestyle choices. The study highlights the paradox of a high renewable energy supply leading to potential misconceptions regarding abundant and low-cost energy, resulting in substantial energy consumption-related environmental impacts. Using detailed household consumption survey data, this research provides insights crucial for developing sustainable energy policies that not only target technological advancements but also address the need for a reduction in energy demand and a shift towards energy sufficiency. This work marks a contribution to the literature through the provision of a case study of low income inequality and high energy footprints in a highly renewable energy system context. Further, this work is useful for Icelandic and international policymakers to understand in such high-demand contexts which consumption domains would be most relevant for sufficiency policies. This comprehensive analysis opens pathways for future research to further explore the intersections of energy consumption, socio-economic factors, and well-being, offering a nuanced understanding necessary for crafting sufficiency and demand-side policies aimed at a sustainable energy future.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Kristín Einarsdóttir & Gereon tho Pesch & Kevin Joseph Dillman & Marta Rós Karlsdóttir & Jukka Heinonen, 2024. "Consumption-Based Energy Footprints in Iceland: High and Equally Distributed," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:10:p:2375-:d:1394885
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/10/2375/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/10/2375/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yannick Oswald & Anne Owen & Julia K. Steinberger, 2020. "Publisher Correction: Large inequality in international and intranational energy footprints between income groups and across consumption categories," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 349-349, April.
    2. Yannick Oswald & Anne Owen & Julia K. Steinberger, 2020. "Large inequality in international and intranational energy footprints between income groups and across consumption categories," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(3), pages 231-239, March.
    3. Felix Creutzig & Joyashree Roy & William F. Lamb & Inês M. L. Azevedo & Wändi Bruine de Bruin & Holger Dalkmann & Oreane Y. Edelenbosch & Frank W. Geels & Arnulf Grubler & Cameron Hepburn & Edgar G. H, 2018. "Towards demand-side solutions for mitigating climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 260-263, April.
    4. Brand-Correa, Lina I. & Steinberger, Julia K., 2017. "A Framework for Decoupling Human Need Satisfaction From Energy Use," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 43-52.
    5. Cherubini, Francesco & Bird, Neil D. & Cowie, Annette & Jungmeier, Gerfried & Schlamadinger, Bernhard & Woess-Gallasch, Susanne, 2009. "Energy- and greenhouse gas-based LCA of biofuel and bioenergy systems: Key issues, ranges and recommendations," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(8), pages 434-447.
    6. Büchs, Milena & Schnepf, Sylke V., 2013. "Who emits most? Associations between socio-economic factors and UK households' home energy, transport, indirect and total CO2 emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 114-123.
    7. Felix Creutzig & Leila Niamir & Xuemei Bai & Max Callaghan & Jonathan Cullen & Julio Díaz-José & Maria Figueroa & Arnulf Grubler & William F. Lamb & Adrian Leip & Eric Masanet & Érika Mata & Linus Mat, 2022. "Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 36-46, January.
    8. Narasimha D. Rao & Jihoon Min, 2018. "Decent Living Standards: Material Prerequisites for Human Wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(1), pages 225-244, July.
    9. Jóhannesson, S.E. & Davíðsdóttir, B. & Heinonen, J.T., 2018. "Standard Ecological Footprint Method for Small, Highly Specialized Economies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 370-380.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Okushima, Shinichiro, 2021. "Energy poor need more energy, but do they need more carbon? Evaluation of people's basic carbon needs," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    2. Baltruszewicz, Marta & Steinberger, Julia K. & Paavola, Jouni & Ivanova, Diana & Brand-Correa, Lina I. & Owen, Anne, 2023. "Social outcomes of energy use in the United Kingdom: Household energy footprints and their links to well-being," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    3. Lei, Mingyu & Ding, Qun & Cai, Wenjia & Wang, Can, 2022. "The exploration of joint carbon mitigation actions between demand- and supply-side for specific household consumption behaviors — A case study in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    4. Crelis F. Rammelt & Joyeeta Gupta & Diana Liverman & Joeri Scholtens & Daniel Ciobanu & Jesse F. Abrams & Xuemei Bai & Lauren Gifford & Christopher Gordon & Margot Hurlbert & Cristina Y. A. Inoue & Li, 2023. "Impacts of meeting minimum access on critical earth systems amidst the Great Inequality," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 212-221, February.
    5. Yuru Guan & Jin Yan & Yuli Shan & Yannan Zhou & Ye Hang & Ruoqi Li & Yu Liu & Binyuan Liu & Qingyun Nie & Benedikt Bruckner & Kuishuang Feng & Klaus Hubacek, 2023. "Burden of the global energy price crisis on households," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 8(3), pages 304-316, March.
    6. Pottier, Antonin, 2022. "Expenditure elasticity and income elasticity of GHG emissions: A survey of literature on household carbon footprint," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    7. Lena Kilian & Anne Owen & Andy Newing & Diana Ivanova, 2022. "Exploring Transport Consumption-Based Emissions: Spatial Patterns, Social Factors, Well-Being, and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-26, September.
    8. Tallgauer, Maximilian & Schank, Christoph, 2024. "Challenging the growth-prosperity Nexus: Redefining undergraduate economics education for the Anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    9. Okushima, Shinichiro, 2024. "Measuring energy sufficiency: A state of being neither in energy poverty nor energy extravagance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 354(PA).
    10. Aljoša Slameršak & Giorgos Kallis & Daniel W. O’Neill, 2022. "Energy requirements and carbon emissions for a low-carbon energy transition," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Milena Büchs & Noel Cass & Caroline Mullen & Karen Lucas & Diana Ivanova, 2023. "Emissions savings from equitable energy demand reduction," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 8(7), pages 758-769, July.
    12. Stefano Di Bucchianico & Federica Cappelli, 2021. "Exploring the theoretical link between profitability and luxury emissions," Working Papers PKWP2114, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    13. Wang, Keying & Cui, Yongyan & Zhang, Hongwu & Shi, Xunpeng & Xue, Jinjun & Yuan, Zhao, 2022. "Household carbon footprints inequality in China: Drivers, components and dynamics," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    14. Richard Bärnthaler & Andreas Novy & Leonhard Plank, 2021. "The Foundational Economy as a Cornerstone for a Social–Ecological Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-19, September.
    15. Theine, Hendrik & Humer, Stefan & Moser, Mathias & Schnetzer, Matthias, 2022. "Emissions inequality: Disparities in income, expenditure, and the carbon footprint in Austria," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    16. Benedikt Bruckner & Klaus Hubacek & Yuli Shan & Honglin Zhong & Kuishuang Feng, 2022. "Impacts of poverty alleviation on national and global carbon emissions," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 311-320, April.
    17. Bäuerle, Max Juri, 2022. "Striving for low-carbon lifestyles: An analysis of the mobility patterns of different urban household types with regard to emissions reductions in a real-world lab experiment in Berlin," Discussion Papers, Research Group Digital Mobility and Social Differentiation SP III 2022-601, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    18. Joel Millward-Hopkins, 2022. "Inequality can double the energy required to secure universal decent living," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    19. Schuster, Antonia & Lindner, Michael & Otto, Ilona M., 2023. "Whose house is on fire? Identifying socio-demographic and housing characteristics driving differences in the UK household CO2 emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    20. Gereon tho Pesch & Anna Kristín Einarsdóttir & Kevin Joseph Dillman & Jukka Heinonen, 2023. "Energy Consumption and Human Well-Being: A Systematic Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:10:p:2375-:d:1394885. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.