Europe should cap energy use of richest to stay within carbon budget, study says

Limiting demand of richest 20% saves seven times greenhouse gases required to meet needs of poorest 20%, researchers find

• Extreme heatwave – latest news updates

Gently limiting “luxury” demand from the 20% of European consumers who use the most energy saves seven times the amount of planet-heating gases that would be emitted in meeting the basic needs of the 20% who use the least energy, researchers have found.

The study, which modelled the effect of narrowing the gaps in energy use between households within 27 European countries, found capping demand from the top fifth, even at a fairly high level, cut greenhouse gas pollution from energy consumption by 9.7%, while raising demand from people in the bottom fifth, who live in poverty, to a fairly low level increases emissions by just 1.4%.