Reducing the amount of energy we consume domestically could do more than reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this light, scientists in Switzerland conducted a study published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. They analyzed differences in energy demands at household levels and concluded that energy people consume day by day at home could equal to about 70% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Which of course is the gas responsible for global climate change.
This study questions conclusions by previous studies that state the main culprit for high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to be electric power plants, heating systems and cars.
A summary of the publication reads:
They developed their model for the life cycle assessment of housing and land-based mobility consumption of individual households from a small village in Switzerland. They used statistical census and dwelling register data as foundations of the model. In this study performed on a mid-sized community, they found a median value of greenhouse gas emissions of 3.12 t CO2 equiv and a mean value of 4.30 t CO2 equiv per capita and year for housing and mobility.
Twenty-one percent of the households in the investigated region were responsible for 50% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that if their emissions could be halved the total emissions of the community would be reduced by 25%. Furthermore, a cluster analysis revealed that driving factors for large environmental footprints are demands of large living area heated by fossil energy carriers, as well as large demands of motorized private transportation.Original Publication, Image source
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