Measurement and analysis of household carbon : the case of a UK

26 This paper presents a multidisciplinary , bottom-up approach for estimation and analysis of 27 the direct carbon emissions, and the organic carbon (OC) stored in gardens, using a sample 28 of 575 households across a UK city. The direct carbon emissions were those from domestic 29 end-use energy demand by each household: gas, electricity and personal transport. The 30 stored OC was the carbon in the soil and above ground vegetation of each household's 31 garden. The overall carbon distribution patterns were skewed with highest emitting third of 32 the households being responsible for more than 50% of the emissions and around 50% of 33 garden OC storage. Further analysis identified that there was diversity in the relative 34 contribution that gas, electricity and personal transport made to each household's total and 35 different patterns were observed for high, medium and low emitting households. The 36 inclusion of transport emissions was essential to identifying households with high total 37 emissions and demonstrated that targeting households with high carbon emissions from one 38 source alone would not reliably identify them as high gross emitters. While emissions could 39 not be offset by growing trees in gardens, there were considerable amounts of stored OC 40 which ought to be protected. Exploratory analysis of the multiple drivers of direct emissions 41 was conducted using a combination of primary and secondary data. These findings will be 42 relevant in devising effective policy instruments for combatting city scale greenhouse gas 43 emissions from domestic end-use energy demand. 44 Research highlights 45 • Median annual carbon emissions from household end-use energy demand was 46 6,744kgCO 2 e 47 • One third of the households were responsible for over half of the direct emissions 48 • There was considerable organic carbon stored in gardens 49 • Emissions from transport, gas and electricity demands should all be considered 50 • An individual emissions source cannot be used as a marker for high total emissions 51