IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v207y2025ics1364032124006701.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impacts of lifestyle changes on energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Bauer, Franz
  • Sterner, Michael

Abstract

Most energy scenario studies typically focus on technological options and fuel substitution for decarbonising future energy systems. Lifestyle changes are rarely considered, although they can significantly reduce energy demand and climate change mitigation efforts. By using an energy system model, this study shows that it is possible to reduce final energy demand in Germany by 61 % in 2050 relative to 2019 levels, resulting in an annual per capita energy demand of 44 GJ for a representative country of the Global North. This goal can be achieved through a combination of technological measures and lifestyle changes without sacrificing a decent standard of living. Societal chances can eliminate reliance on not-yet-established negative emission technologies, reduce energy dependency, and reduce the need for energy-intensive hydrogen and e-fuels. Downsizing the energy system provides an opportunity for strengthening climate change mitigation, decrease material demand and reduce land use.

Suggested Citation

  • Bauer, Franz & Sterner, Michael, 2025. "Impacts of lifestyle changes on energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006701
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114944
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124006701
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114944?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006701. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.