Personal Carbon Budgets: a vital contribution to tackling the climate crisis or a step too far?

Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

Nov 16 2023 • 47 mins

In this episode of the Meliora Podcast we are discussing Personal Carbon Budgets. Our host Professor Simon Kemp is joined by Alice Brock, Sustainable Development Goals Officer in the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, and PhD student in the School of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton where she is researching this complex area.

Throughout this episode we delve into the environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects of this newly emerging subject, from what is a Personal Carbon Budget, the controversies that surround this concept, and the findings from Alice’s research.

Links to papers of interest from this episode:

Brock, A., Kemp, S. Williams, I.D. 2022. Personal Carbon Budgets: A Pestle Review. Sustainability. 14(15), 9238. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/15/9238

Brock, A. Williams, I.D., Kemp, S. 2023.. “I'll take the easiest option please”. Carbon reduction preferences of the public. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652623035564

Fuso Nerini, F., Fawcett, T., Parag, Y. et al. 2021. Personal carbon allowances revisited. Nat Sustain 4, 1025–1031. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00756-w

Carbon Trust. Personal Carbon Allowances White paper. https://www.carbontrust.com/our-work-and-impact/guides-reports-and-tools/personal-carbon-allowances-white-paper

Fawcett, T. 2010,Personal carbon trading: A policy ahead of its time?, Energy Policy, Volume 38, Issue 11. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421510005239