A low-carbon electricity sector in Europe risks sustaining regional inequalities in benefits and vulnerabilities

Improving equity is an emerging priority in climate and energy strategies, but little is known how these strategies would alter inequalities. Regional inequalities such as price, employment and land use are especially relevant in the electricity sector, which must decarbonize first to allow other se...

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Vydáno v:Nature communications Ročník 14; číslo 1; s. 2205 - 15
Hlavní autoři: Sasse, Jan-Philipp, Trutnevyte, Evelina
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.04.2023
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Témata:
639/4077/2790
639/4077/909
706/4066/4074
Carbon
Carbon content
Electric industries
Electricity
Emissions
Emissions control
Employment
Greenhouse gases
Humanities and Social Sciences
Inequalities
Land use
multidisciplinary
Net zero
Particulate emissions
Particulate matter
Regions
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Europe
ISSN:2041-1723, 2041-1723
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Shrnutí:Improving equity is an emerging priority in climate and energy strategies, but little is known how these strategies would alter inequalities. Regional inequalities such as price, employment and land use are especially relevant in the electricity sector, which must decarbonize first to allow other sectors to decarbonize. Here, we show that a European low-carbon electricity sector in 2035 can reduce but also sustain associated regional inequalities. Using spatially-explicit modeling for 296 sub-national regions, we demonstrate that emission cuts consistent with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 result in continent-wide benefits by 2035 regarding electricity sector investments, employment gains, and decreased greenhouse gas and particulate matter emissions. However, the benefits risk being concentrated in affluent regions of Northern Europe, while regions of Southern and Southeastern Europe risk high vulnerabilities due to high adverse impacts and sensitivities, and low adaptive capacities. Future analysis should investigate policy mechanisms for reducing and compensating inequalities. The low-carbon electricity sector in Europe can bring overall benefits of new investment, employment, and decreased emissions, but could sustain regional inequalities between Northern and Southern Europe.
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ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-37946-3