Carbon Inequality in Switzerland: Exploring Household Carbon Footprints during the Kyoto Commitment Periods

Sammanfattning

As current climate mitigation efforts fall short of international goals, concerns over the equity implications of climate policy are becoming more salient. This study analyzes the distribution and evolution of household carbon footprints in Switzerland from 2008 to 2019, focusing on carbon inequality across income quintiles. Using data from the Swiss Household Budget Survey and the multi-regional input output database EXIOBASE v3.8, the findings align with international patterns: household emissions increase with income and are concentrated in the consumption categories of food, housing and energy, and transport. Despite Switzerland meeting its Kyoto Protocol targets under a production-based framework, the total carbon footprint of private households remained high throughout the commitment periods. After an initial upward trend, emissions began to decline across all income groups after 2013. However, a disproportionately larger reduction among lower-income households led to rising carbon inequality during the second commitment period. A simulated carbon tax on transport fuels, modeled after Switzerland's existing CO2 levy, suggests that such a policy could generate revenue and deliver net benefits for low income households, while having only limited effects on overall carbon inequality.