The UK domestic sector is responsible for 42% of national CO2 emissions. From this sector, private transport contributes 29% and flights 12%. Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) is a radical policy proposed in the UK aiming to reducing emissions from the domestic sector and therefore if implemented would have implications for personal mobility. In short, PCT is a mandatory downstream cap and trade policy where emission rights are allocated to individuals. The scheme covers direct personal emissions - e.g. those caused by household consumption of electricity, gas, gasoline and flights. PCT has been discussed within the UK Government and recently it was chosen by the Government’s independent watchdog on sustainable development as one of nineteen breakthrough ideas for the 21st century. Dr. Parag’s seminar will introduce the concepts of PCT in the climate change policy landscape context and further discuss its implications on energy consumption, people’s travel behaviour and private transport and mobility in particular. She will also introduce the policy means that have the potential to deliver behavioural changes on personal travel choices that can result in meaningful carbon emission reductions.
Speaker: Dr. Yael Parag is a senior researcher in the energy group at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute (ECI).
She is an environmental public policy scholar and during the last few years has been researching policies for emissions reduction from the domestic sector in the UK. Currently she is focusing on Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) – a radical downstream cap and trade policy which is being discussed in the UK Government. She was a member of the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) advisory group on PCT and is a co-editor to a special issue on PCT for Climate Policy journal. Amongst her publications are papers on what people need to have, learn and know in order to manage a personal carbon budget and stay within its limits and the policy features that can assist them; the lessons that could be drawn for PCT from other policies; the political and social barriers that PCT needs to overcome in order to be a valid policy option; and the impact of policy framing on willingness to reduce personal emissions. Her co-authored book chapter on Personal Carbon Budgets - Helping individuals to live in a carbon constrained world, is due by Jan 2010 (publisher: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE). She has degrees in life sciences and social sciences. Her PhD is from Tel Aviv University, Israel.