FW: [ENOUGH] Economic assessment of sufficiency in France
Philip Vergragt
Dear SCORAI-ers,
This seems to me an extremely important email from the Sufficiency network on a new report about the importance of changing lifestyles, and how to use various instruments including external chocks to achieve that. I have not read it but I suggest that Valery Brachya and I will discuss it at the upcoming SCP conference in session I10. This session will be Saturday July 8 at 11:15-12:30 WET and it will by hybrid, i.e. accessible for remote conference participants. To participate in this session and all others you need to register at the conference website https://www.scp-conference-2023.com/web
warm regards,
Philip
From: enough-...@googlegroups.com <enough-...@googlegroups.com>
On Behalf Of Edouard Toulouse
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 4:01 AM
To: enough-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [ENOUGH] Economic assessment of sufficiency in France
Dear all,
The French government has ordered a study on the costs of climate mitigation. It has been delivered yesterday and was written by a bunch of economists led by Jean Pisani-Ferry.
Sufficiency is mentioned numerous times, and the report states unequivocally that behaviour change and sufficiency will be indispensable to achieve climate neutrality (something we've rarely read in past studies of this kind).
There is even a series of thematic reports published together with the main report, the first of which is fully about sufficiency. It has been prepared by Dr. Aude Pommeret, economist at University Savoie-Mont-Blanc.
It's in French, but here's a rough translation of the conclusions:
The expected impacts of sufficiency are assumed to be at least a 15% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases for France, with strong heterogeneity depending on the sectors and available studies (it can reach up to 50%). This is a significant amount which justifies to have a look at the means to be implemented towards sufficient lifestyles.
Instead of assuming a spontaneous diffussion of sufficiency (as in most existing energy transition scenarios), this report has investigated the various options that could foster sufficiency. Sufficiency can be modelled in scenarios as exogenous shocks on the way individuals weight their preferences between durable goods, energy use, and non-durable goods. The simulation of these shocks in order to reduce energy consumption shows a strong heterogeneity of impacts on GDP and overall consumption. The decision to trigger one or the other of these shocks through public policies may be guided by considerations about acceptability or GDP growth, the decrease of which may be limited by favoring a positive shock on the weight of non-durable goods.
The question then arises of how to generate such shocks. The report investigated nudges, which make it possible to reduce biased behaviors at a low financial and political cost. Furthermore, a better assessment and promotion of the co-benefits of sufficiency would help improving acceptance. Mandatory regulations may have higher political and social costs. We also call for more research on endogenous changes in preferences and to their integration into energy modelling.
Last, the consideration of sufficiency should go in hand with a consideration for social and economic justice in the decarbonation of the economy. During a voluntary public consultation (November 2021-February 2022) carried out by the French administration, participants have expressed the need for households, empoyees, and territories to be supported in the transition. A recent study has suggested that carbon pricing policies and lifestyle changes must take place in a framework of reduction of social inequalities. Policies must strike a balance between progessive carbon taxes, sufficiency-led societal changes, investments in infrastructures, and regulation of ostentatious carbon-intensive consumption.
If you'd like more details, please tell me.
Wishing you a wonderful day,
Edouard
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Heyman, Josiah M
Hello to everyone,
Is there any work (empirical, conceptual) on insufficiency, such as poor consumers (so not insufficient because of lack of infrastructure and lack of income, but only the latter). Even more interesting, on people in-between insufficiency and excess (characteristic of many people in low income situations in prosperous market societies)? Or, on the simultaneity of sufficiency and insufficiency in such societies (beyond studies of income poverty as is well documented)?
I’m not challenging the value of an ethos and ways of life based on sufficiency. That appeals a lot to me. But I spend a lot of time with poor people in a rich society, and I am trying to understand their socio-environmental dynamics. My work so far has been on the cost of utility-supplied water.
Many thanks,
Joe
From:
sco...@googlegroups.com <sco...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Philip Vergragt <pver...@outlook.com>
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 6:56 AM
To: sco...@googlegroups.com <sco...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Valerie Brachya <val...@jerusaleminstitute.org.il>
Subject: [SCORAI] FW: [ENOUGH] Economic assessment of sufficiency in France
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Heyman, Josiah M
Does anyone have recommendations on fundamental works on energy poverty within situations with infrastructure and commoditized supply? (That is, not very poor, rural or unserved urban areas, but energy poverty in situations where energy could be available.)
Many thanks in advance,
Joe Heyman
Benjamin Sovacool
Sandy, thank you so much. I agree with everything you write below, especially the great stuff Stefan has been doing. I just wanted to bring everyone’s attention to two exceptional early career researchers also pushing the envelope on the topic with some very cutting-edge research: Chris Lowans and Dylan Furszyfer Del Rio. Both take a holistic lens that couples energy poverty with transport/mobility poverty, too. For future reading:
Chris
Lowans, C, et al. “What causes energy and transport poverty in Ireland? Analyzing the demographic, economic, and social dynamics, and policy implications,” Energy Policy 172 (January 2023), 113313, pp. 1-14.
Lowans, C, et al. “What is the state of the art in energy and transport poverty metrics? A critical and comprehensive review,” Energy Economics 101 (September, 2021), 105360, pp. 1-19.
Dylan
Furszyfer Del Rio, D, et al, “The demographics of energy and mobility poverty: Assessing equity and justice in Ireland, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates,” Global Environmental Change (in press, 2023)
Furszyfer Del Rio, D and BK Sovacool. “Of cooks, crooks and slum-dwellers: Exploring the lived experience of energy and mobility poverty in Mexico's informal settlements,” World Development 161 (January, 2023), 106093, pp. 1-22.
Sovacool, BK and D Furszyfer Del Rio. “We’re not dead yet!”: Extreme energy and transport poverty, perpetual peripheralization, and spatial justice among Gypsies and Travellers in Northern Ireland,” Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 160 (May, 2022), 112262, pp. 1-18.
Furszyfer Del Rio, D et al. “Culture, energy and climate sustainability, and smart home technologies: A mixed methods comparison of four countries,” Energy & Climate Change 2 (December, 2021), 100035, pp. 1-19.
Sovacool, BK, D Furszyfer Del Rio, and M Martiskainen. “Can prosuming become perilous? Exploring systems of control and domestic abuse in the smart homes of the future,” Frontiers in Energy Research 9 (November, 2021), pp. 1-18.
From: Pesoemails <pesoemail...@listserv.utep.edu>
On Behalf Of Smith-Nonini, Sandy C.
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2023 2:11 PM
To: Heyman, Josiah M <jmhe...@utep.edu>; sco...@googlegroups.com; pesoe...@listserv.utep.edu; Envirosoc <ENVI...@LISTSERV.NEU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [Pesoemails] Energy poverty
Hi Joe,
You probably know of these authors, but I find the prolific writings by Benjamin Sovacool and those by Stefan Buzarovski (aka Stefan Buzar) useful on Energy Poverty – both have written on EP in Europe – esp. see the latter’s small book on Energy Poverty in Eastern Europe, and I attach here three comparative articles on EP in Europe – probably the most widely studied region with substantial EP despite modern infrastructure. I suspect the US is similar, just less studied – as energy poverty is a newer concept in US academy but up and coming I think. See the three attachments on US.
Your description describes the kinds of energy poverty I focus on in the book I’m writing –The Energy Permacrisis (forthcoming Routledge). Climate extremes are often a factor in energy crises (like the Puerto Rican 2017 blackout (see attached, and link to film we made in email signature below) but there are always political economic aspects such as came to the fore in the Greek debt crisis – see chapter attached fr. book ed. by Ida Susser and Don Nonini on politics of scale). I met many energy poverty researchers in Greece – some are cited in chapter. Both places had what I call “fossil colonial” histories – resulting in chronic debt, elites within the state facilitating corporate corruption and pressures for privatization of utility infrastructure. My focus was more on deep causes of the crises than documenting the EP aspect. Some of my Puerto Rican informants reject the EP term in favor of Energy Justice, which I agree with.
More recently I’m doing a comparative of the Texas freeze and the UK energy crisis –for a chapter in current book - (see the FOCAAL blog piece for an early take on this). You know the story in TX I’m sure. I find it interesting that both places moved to deregulate their grids earlier than most, and were considered “models” by proponents of elec. deregulation – yet, aspects of deregulation left them vulnerable. See the Oppenheim article attached on the connection of regulation and EP in US. (Also, TX and UK both had mostly islanded grids – for kind of similar reasons if you think about Brexiters’ rejection of EU rule as on some weird par with Texas’ animosity towards the federal “gubmint”. The Don’t Pay movement in the UK is an obvious relative of the I Don’t Pay movement in Greece.
Not sure if any of that is helpful to what you are interested in. Would love to hear more on what you’re researching.
I do think we are in an opportune moment, with climate change advancing, recent high energy prices, and advent of the IRA law, to expand both academic and movement work on energy justice in the US. Would welcome collaborations with others interested in developing a network of interest around access to energy services.
Sandy
Sandy Smith-Nonini, PhD
Adjunct Asst. Professor of Anthropology
University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, CB 3115
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandy_Smith-Nonini/research
Film: Dis.em.POWER.ed: Puerto Rico’s Perfect Storm – Trailer: https://www.communecos.org/dis-em-power-ed-documentary-film
Full film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CY9g9H4kT0
Book: Healing the Body Politic: El Salvador's Popular Struggle for Health Rights from Civil War to Neoliberal Peace https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/healing-the-body-politic/9780813547367
Cecilia RAZA
I hope this can answer your question.
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