Policy prescriptions to address energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom

Benjamin K. Sovacool; Paul Upham; Mari Martiskainen; Kirsten E.H. Jenkins; Gerardo A. Torres Contreras; Neil Simcock

doi:10.1038/s41560-023-01196-w

Policy prescriptions to address energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom

Benjamin K. Sovacool^*, Paul Upham, Mari Martiskainen, Kirsten E.H. Jenkins, Gerardo A. Torres Contreras, Neil Simcock

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Business Development and Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Tens of millions of households across Europe struggle to afford adequate electricity and heating services and reliable transportation, while recent high fuel prices could lead to an increase in excess winter deaths. Tackling energy and transport poverty is thus of paramount policy importance. Here we document the drivers and lived experiences of energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom, based on public focus groups and expert interviews. We find a set of policies that resonate with both expert planners and members of the public, implying they have a level of political and social acceptability that other measures may be lacking, notably: mandatory landlord energy efficiency upgrades, increasing the extent of financial assistance to households, cheaper (or even free) bus and train fares and restarting and expanding bus services. We buttress these findings with further suggestions for energy and transport system redesign that better meets emerging principles of energy and social justice.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature Energy
Volume	8
Issue	3
Pages (from-to)	273-283
Number of pages	11
ISSN	2058-7546
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01196-w
Publication status	Published - Mar 2023

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Policy prescriptions to address energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom_Publishers_version_2023Final published version, 2.41 MBLicence: CC BY

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abstract = "Tens of millions of households across Europe struggle to afford adequate electricity and heating services and reliable transportation, while recent high fuel prices could lead to an increase in excess winter deaths. Tackling energy and transport poverty is thus of paramount policy importance. Here we document the drivers and lived experiences of energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom, based on public focus groups and expert interviews. We find a set of policies that resonate with both expert planners and members of the public, implying they have a level of political and social acceptability that other measures may be lacking, notably: mandatory landlord energy efficiency upgrades, increasing the extent of financial assistance to households, cheaper (or even free) bus and train fares and restarting and expanding bus services. We buttress these findings with further suggestions for energy and transport system redesign that better meets emerging principles of energy and social justice.",

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AB - Tens of millions of households across Europe struggle to afford adequate electricity and heating services and reliable transportation, while recent high fuel prices could lead to an increase in excess winter deaths. Tackling energy and transport poverty is thus of paramount policy importance. Here we document the drivers and lived experiences of energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom, based on public focus groups and expert interviews. We find a set of policies that resonate with both expert planners and members of the public, implying they have a level of political and social acceptability that other measures may be lacking, notably: mandatory landlord energy efficiency upgrades, increasing the extent of financial assistance to households, cheaper (or even free) bus and train fares and restarting and expanding bus services. We buttress these findings with further suggestions for energy and transport system redesign that better meets emerging principles of energy and social justice.

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Policy prescriptions to address energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom

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