Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use: An international analysis of social provisioning

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License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_CD152DBE499A
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use: An international analysis of social provisioning
Journal
Global Environmental Change
Author(s)
Vogel Jefim, Steinberger Julia K., O'Neill Daniel W., Lamb William F., Krishnakumar Jaya
ISSN
0959-3780
Publication state
Published
Issued date
07/2021
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
69
Pages
102287
Language
english
Abstract
Meeting human needs at sustainable levels of energy use is fundamental for avoiding catastrophic climate change and securing the well-being of all people. In the current political economic regime, no country does so. Here, we assess which socio-economic conditions might enable societies to satisfy human needs at low energy use, to reconcile human well-being with climate mitigation.
Using a novel analytical framework alongside a novel multivariate regression-based moderation approach and data for 106 countries, we analyse how the relationship between energy use and six dimensions of human need satisfaction varies with a wide range of socio-economic factors relevant to the provisioning of goods and services ('provisioning factors'). We find that factors such as public service quality, income equality, democracy, and electricity access are associated with higher need satisfaction and lower energy requirements (‘beneficial provisioning factors’). Conversely, extractivism and economic growth beyond moderate levels of affluence are associated with lower need satisfaction and greater energy requirements (‘detrimental provisioning factors’). Our results suggest that improving beneficial provisioning factors and abandoning detrimental ones could enable countries to provide sufficient need satisfaction at much lower, ecologically sustainable levels of energy use.
However, as key pillars of the required changes in provisioning run contrary to the dominant political-economic regime, a broader transformation of the economic system may be required to prioritise, and organise provisioning for, the satisfaction of human needs at low energy use.
Keywords
Sustainability, Well-being, Human needs, Energy use ,Social provisioning, Human development
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Funding(s)
Leverhulme Trust
Create date
02/11/2022 12:46
Last modification date
21/11/2022 8:23
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