A new study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) claims that well-off, rural white men are the primary contributors to climate change. The IPPR, which describes itself as “working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society,” also points to the super-rich as significant culprits.
The study highlights that individuals with an annual income exceeding £100,000 travel twice the distance annually compared to those earning less than £30,000. According to their findings, men are more likely to be higher carbon emitters than women, while non-whites typically travel less and apparently emit fewer pollutants.
Further, the research showed that 35 to 64-year-olds are the largest emitters, while residents of Britain’s most deprived areas contribute fewer emissions due to reduced travel. The study’s authors also asserted that rural residents are more polluting, attributed to their limited access to public transport compared to urban dwellers.
Dr. Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at IPPR, commented, “Our transport system both reflects and contributes to social inequalities. Reducing emissions can actually tackle some of that injustice if done fairly.” Fairly, according to the researchers, is to double down on harmful ‘Net Zero’ policies. “Now is not the time to slow down our efforts to reach Net Zero – doing so just fuels existing transport inequalities,” said researcher Stephen Frost.
The study coincides with critiques of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer‘s proposed plan to reach Net Zero by 2030, which analysis by Aurora Energy Research suggests will require an additional £116 billion investment. Aurora’s findings, commissioned by the Policy Exchange think tank, labeled Labour’s goal as “simply not feasible.” The types of extremist “green” policies advocated by the study’s authors have led to widespread protests in Europe.
