PhD Opportunity: Household Decarbonisations

Project summary: This PhD addresses the economic issues related to the decarbonisation of households in the net zero transition. Household decarbonisation is a massive investment project which is expected to come at significant upfront cost, which will either need to be borne by either individuals or governments. This project will focus on the economic activity arising from investment in household decarbonisation along with the policy possible interventions available to maximise societal welfare.

Deadline: 3 April 2024

Duration: 36 months

Funding details: Fully-funded scholarship for three years covers all university tuition fees (at UK level) and an annual tax-free stipend. International students are also eligible to apply, but they will need to find other funding sources to cover the difference between the home and international tuition fees. Exceptional international candidates may be provided funding for this difference.  

Eligibility:

Students should have a first-class honours degree, or a 2:1 with a relevant Masters qualification. The student should have a background in an environmental or economic subject area, with an interest in assessing how environmental change can impact societies and economies. 

Project details:

There is a vital role for household decarbonisation in the broader climate change mitigation agenda. The residential sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly through energy consumption for heating, which underscores the necessity for targeted interventions to reduce its carbon footprint. In the UK, where the government has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Residential sector accounts for approximately 20% of total emissions. Policy is necessary to achieve emissions reductions in this sector, yet it is in this sector that the policy and technological pathway to Net-Zero is least clear.

The importance of this topic, and the policy background to this project, is thus clear. The aim and objectives of this studentship are to ground the search for appropriate policy for household decarbonisation in the UK in both the economics and the technological landscape of the issue, using the Glasgow City Region as a case study. Glasgow is expected to be one of the first net zero city with the goal of achieving this by 2030 thus household decarbonisation is an important issue in this context. Overall, this research is expected to have two main strands:

• the macroeconomics of the household decarbonisation transition, under which examination is made on how the economy must change, in terms of economic structure and the goods and services produced, assuming the household decarbonisation transition does indeed happen; and
• the microeconomics of incentives for households to decarbonise, which studies the policy instruments needed in order for households (or others) to choose to implement decarbonisation. 

Contact: Dr Kevin Connolly

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Advert information