Sustainable Energy Consumption in Developing Countries: An Analysis on Thailand’s Household Socio-Economic Survey

Type Journal Article - OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Title Sustainable Energy Consumption in Developing Countries: An Analysis on Thailand’s Household Socio-Economic Survey
Author(s)
Volume 6
Issue 3
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2013
Page numbers 63-70
URL http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2369543
Abstract
Developing countries have been dramatically changing their ways of consuming energy for the past decades. Between 1987 and 2006, developing countries experienced high rate of growth in energy consumption as much as 63 percent per year while energy consumption in OECD countries grew only around 1.5 percent per year. Without effective policies, such dramatic change in energy consumption would undoubtedly lead to unsustainable future of global energy. This paper analyzes distribution of energy consumption across income classes in Thailand by using household socio-economic data of Thailand from the period 2003-2009. It can be found that there were high inequalities in energy consumption among household income classes especially in electricity and transport fuel consumptions. The study also estimates carbon emission of each income class and finds that the highest income group emits carbon emission 7 times higher than the lowest income. The study finally conducts policy scenarios based on the fact findings. The first scenario assumes a change in carbon emission factor, which refers to the technology level of country. The result implies that adaptation of cleaner energy and technology on power generation can substantially decrease carbon emission of Thailand. The second scenario assumes changes in tax on carbon-intensive energies which lead to a substantial decline in carbon emission.

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