A study conducted in Sweden focused on single men and women’s spending habits has found that men’s personal spending choices account for about 16% more harmful greenhouse gas emissions than those of single women.
The study, which was carried out in 2024, analyzed consumer behavior, and choosing affordable and sustainable alternatives for furnishings, holidays, and food can affect carbon footprint.
Researchers zeroed in on spending that did not require consumers to spend extra money, so buying electric cars wasn’t included in the study. Fuel for work vehicle use (ex. for taxis or delivery vans) was also not included in the research.
Sweden’s Ecoloop, a research company, led the study that came out in the Journal for Industrial Ecology.
What the study revealed
According to the study, men contribute more to air pollution because their major spending priorities are tobacco, alcohol, eating out, and fuel for their vehicles. On the other hand, women spend their money mostly on clothes, health, and home decoration.
Men spend a lot of money on diesel and gas, including those who often use the family car. Meanwhile, women prefer to use public transportation.
General findings, however, indicate that holidays and food make up most of the emissions, and this is true for both men and women. Men eat more meat than women; they also spend more money on energy. Both are believed to lead to high emissions. The Climate Institute revealed that women in the western world take lesser diesel or gas car trips, value energy efficiency in their homes, drink less processed beverages, and eat lesser meat compared to men.
Cutting down greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions are harmful to the environment and human health. What greenhouse gases do is trap heat in the atmosphere. This action is what causes climate change or global warming. Droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather conditions are all caused by climate change resulting from excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
While the study clearly shows the effects of men and women’s habits on air pollution, it also highlights the fact that changing these habits can lessen by around 40% the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. The changes do not have to equate to an increase in spending; just simple but significant changes such as taking the train when going on vacations or staycations, choosing alternatives to dairy and consuming plant-based meat, buying second-hand but quality items, and growing vegetables at home.
The research proves that one does not have to buy an electric car or shift to using solar panels at home if one want to lessen greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. There are safer options that are easily doable for even the regular-earning person or family.
However, if the goal is to mitigate climate change, further studies are needed on gender differences and policies for greenhouse gas or carbon dioxide emissions.
NOx emissions and the Diesel gate scandal
One of the most critical issues related to air pollution is the Diesel gate scandal involving Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and other popular vehicle manufacturers. The diesel emissions scandal started with VW in 2015 when US authorities discovered that the carmaker allegedly installed defeat devices in their diesel vehicles sold across the United States.
Defeat devices have been designed to detect when a vehicle is in testing so emissions levels could be artificially adjusted to meet legal limits. When the car such a device is installed in is driven in real-world road conditions, however, emission levels revert to their usual, which are at least four times over the limits set by the World Health Organization and the EU.
What vehicles emit is NOx or nitrogen oxides, a group of gases that are dangerous for both the environment and human health. NOx has a combination of NO or nitric oxide and NO2 or nitrogen dioxide. NO on its own is not that harmful but once it reacts and combines with NO2, they become collectively known as NOx and cause several health risks.
Exposure to NOx can lead to:
- Breathing problems
- Lung problems
- Chronically reduced lung function
- Headaches
- Asthma or aggravated asthma
- Bronchitis and other respiratory problems
In severe cases, where a person is exposed to high volumes of toxic air, NOx can increase the risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It can also lead to premature death.
Nitrogen oxides significantly affect the environment by helping form acid rain, smog, and ground-level ozone (or the bad ozone).
NOx also affects the ecosystem – vegetation weakens and plants stop growing when they are constantly exposed to nitrogen oxides.
Car owners affected by the diesel emissions scandal are encouraged to file a Dieselgate compensation claim. The manufacturers of their vehicles did hoodwink them into using what they thought were environmentally friendly vehicles and such deceit should not go unanswered.
Filing for diesel emissions claims
Many car owners have been asking themselves, “How should I start my diesel claims?” The answer is simple: by finding a panel of emissions solicitors who are well-trained and highly experienced in filing diesel compensation claims. The panel of solicitors at Emissions.co.uk have dedicated their professional lives to helping affected car owners win claims against erring, deceptive car manufacturers. You won’t regret working with them in bringing your claims to the right authorities. Visit their website and get in touch with them right away. Start filing your Dieselgate compensation claim now.
Men buy goods that contribute 16 percent more to global warming while spending almost as much as women. Various studies have concluded that the biggest air pollutants are the food and tourism industries. Scientists claim that consuming vegetarian food instead of meat and dairy food, as well as traveling by train instead of by plane and car during the holidays reduces emissions by 40 percent.
Regardless of who pollutes the air more, women or men, we need to know one thing, and that is that polluted air negatively affects the health of both, and leads to increasing infertility in couples. In order to reduce infertility, it is necessary to take measures to improve air quality as soon as possible, according to the analysis of the harmful effects of air pollution on the fertility of women and men. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to polluted air reduces fertility by 10%.
Abandonment of coal for electricity production is the most important measure to improve air quality, and the replacement of boilers in households with more environmentally friendly solutions, solar panels on the roofs of houses and buildings, and energy efficiency improvement projects can play an important role.
So, it is up to us to make the world a better place and to extend our lifespan as much as possible. Let’s protect nature and it will be grateful to us!