Hockey sticks made of carbon : unequal distribution of greenhouse gas emissions from personal travel in the United Kingdom

Personal transport accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from transport, in particular when including international aviation. Yet relatively little is known about the composition and socio-economic make-up of travel emissions at the household and individual levels. Do they vary, and if so how much, by choice of transport mode, geographical location, socio-economic factors, vehicle technology choice and other personal characteristics? This paper aims to shed some light on the profile of greenhouse gas emissions at the disaggregate levels. It presents results of a substantive case study in the UK, based on a newly developed greenhouse gas emissions evaluation tool. When accounting for all known climate effects, air travel dominates overall greenhouse gas emissions from personal travel. There is a huge range in emissions, with the highest 20% of emitters producing 61% of emissions. This ‘60-20 emission’ rule is mirrored in the ‘hockey-stick’ shape of the curves ranking respondents by their emissions level, which is surprisingly similar when compared between modes, location and unit of analysis (individual, household). While income, working status, age and car ownership are significantly related to overall emissions, factors related to accessibility, household location and gender are not. The paper concludes by discussing methodological considerations and policy implications