Environmental Digest

Your Home is A Climate Problem


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What if the biggest climate problem isn’t heavy industry or distant power plants — but our own homes?Household energy use accounts for a surprisingly large share of global energy demand. Heating, cooling, appliances, lighting, and everyday behaviors inside homes quietly shape emissions, energy poverty, and the success (or failure) of climate policy.In this video, I break down a large peer-reviewed scientometric study that analyzes 35 years of research on household energy consumption, mapping how science has tried — and often struggled — to reduce energy use at home.What the science shows:• Household energy use is deeply influenced by behavior, not just technology• Energy efficiency improvements often trigger rebound effects that offset expected savings• Energy poverty and inequality are central — not peripheral — to the energy transition• Policies focused only on efficiency consistently underperform without social and behavioral contextBut the paper is also clear: the problem isn’t individual responsibility. It’s systemic. Technology alone cannot deliver climate goals if human behavior, housing conditions, and social factors are ignored.The takeaway is simple but uncomfortable:The energy transition doesn’t start in power plants — it starts at home.This video isn’t about blaming households. It’s about understanding why well-intentioned energy solutions often fail — and what science suggests we need to do differently.Based on:“A scientometric review of household energy consumption research: Trends, gaps, and future directions”Environmental Development (2020)Let me know what you think:Should climate policy focus more on households — or is responsibility being misplaced?



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Environmental DigestBy EnvironmentalDigest