Governance, Infrastructure, Lifestyle Dynamics and Energy Demand: European Post-Carbon Communities (GILDED)

Project manager: Lee-Ann Sutherland (The Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland)

Hungarian team: Bernadett Csurgó, Anna Légmán, Boldizsár Megyesi

www.gildedeu.org

The overall goal of GILDED is to identify social, economic, cultural and political changes which could help rural and urban households in Europe consume less energy. GILDED is a three year collaborative research project funded through European Union Framework Programme Seven, running from December 2008-2011.

Rationale

The focus of the project is on household consumption. In Europe, about 35% of all primary energy use and 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from private households. While technological innovations can reduce the energy requirement for specific activities, people still have to choose to consume less. Otherwise, increases in energy efficiency may simply raise demand for energy-intensive products and services.

Institutions Involved

The Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland
The University of Groningen (the Netherlands)
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany)
The Institute of Sociology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic)