Policies and psychological approaches often overemphasize individual agency, overlooking how socioeconomic inequality can constrain access to low-carbon alternatives. We argue that tackling these inequalities is urgent for impactful, equitable behaviour change.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Adams, J., Mytton, O., White, M. & Monsivais, P. PLoS Med. 13, e1001990 (2016).
Gralton, A., Sinclair, M. & Purnell, K. Aust. J. Environ. Educ. 20, 41–52 (2004).
Mattioli, G., Roberts, C., Steinberger, J. K. & Brown, A. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 66, 101486 (2020).
Williams, J. R., Masuda, Y. J. & Tallis, H. Soc. Indic. Res. 128, 265–283 (2016).
Nielsen, K. S., Nicholas, K. A., Creutzig, F., Dietz, T. & Stern, P. C. Nat. Energy 4, 145–153 (2021).
Vogel, J., Steinberger, J. K., O’Neill, D. W., Lamb, W. F. & Krishnakumar, J. Glob. Environ. Change 69, 102287 (2021).
Demographic Tables (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023); https://www.bls.gov/cex/tables/calendar-year/mean-item-share-average-standard-error.htm#cu-income
Alston, P., Khawaja, B. & Riddell, R. Public Transport, Private Profit (Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, 2021).
Hosford, K. & Winters, M. Transp. Res. Rec. 2672, 42–50 (2018).
Crawford, B. et al. Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health 41, 567–571 (2017).
McInerney, M. et al. BMC Public Health 16, 984 (2016).
Lockhart, C. Stop The Clock: The Environmental Benefits of a Shorter Working Week (Platform London, 2021).
Creutzig, F. et al. Nat. Clim. Change 12, 36–46 (2022).
Millward-Hopkins, J. & Oswald, Y. Lancet Planet. Health 7, e147–e154 (2023).
South Africa’s Energy Fiscal Policies: An Inventory of Subsidies, Taxes, and Policies Impacting the Energy Transition (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022).
Acknowledgements
We thank K. Nielsen, M. Farley and A. Balmford for their feedback on this manuscript. C.A.K. was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, grant number P500PS_210825. E.E.G. was funded by the Wellcome Trust, Our Planet Our Health (Livestock, Environment and People—LEAP), grant number 205212/Z/16/Z.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kukowski, C.A., Garnett, E.E. Tackling inequality is essential for behaviour change for net zero. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 2–4 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01900-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01900-4
