Time, Lifestyles, and Carbon: Navigating Demand-Side Mitigation in an Accelerating Society | Ludi Liu

Field l Discipline

• Environmental Science
• Industrial Ecology
• Climate Impact and Mitigation

Expertise

• Input-Output Analysis
• Global Value Chain framework
• Carbon Accounting

Summary

As global efforts to combat climate change intensify, the significance of demand side mitigation has become increasingly prominent, a shift underscored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which for the first time dedicated a specialized chapter to the demand, services, and social aspects of mitigation. This highlights the indispensable role of human behavior and social practices in shaping emission trajectories. Modern society is witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in lifestyle transitions driven by socio-economic shifts and technological advancement; however, the climate implications of these changes remain insufficiently explored.

This research posits that time use patterns provide a critical lens through which to characterize lifestyles and understand their environmental consequences. The project is centered on two core objectives: first, to utilize time use data to depict lifestyles and their transition potential; and second, to estimate the climate impacts of daily activities by synthesizing energy and carbon emission data. By bridging the gap between temporal behavior and carbon accounting, this study aims to identify high-leverage points for low-carbon lifestyle transitions, offering evidence-based pathways for achieving a sustainable future from a demand-side perspective through integrated behavioral and structural interventions.

Supervision by

• Promotor: Prof. dr. K.S. (Klaus) Hubacek | Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.

• Co-promotor: Prof. dr. Y. (Yuli) Shan| Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.

More information and contact details can be found on the personal profile of Ludi Liu