Men are bigger contributors to air pollution than women, says study

A study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has suggested that men contribute more to air pollution compared to women.

The study, “Understanding the mitigation potential of sustainable urban transport measures across income and gender groups”, observed that men tend to use personal transport more than women when their income rises.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the mitigation potential of eight income-gender groups to climate change mitigation policy bundles for the urban transportation sector.

In the study, the researchers further found that men contributed more to emissions due to a higher number of car trips, but their mitigation contribution is comparatively less than female groups.

“This scenario is more prominent in high-income male groups,” found the researchers, reports New Indian Express newspaper.

The study, which has been published in the Journal of Transport Geography, observed that carbon dioxide emission reductions were high in high-income groups and PM2.5 emissions (emissions of particulate matter lesser than 2.5 microns) reductions were high in the low-income and lower-middle-income groups.

It was further found that women from high-income groups preferred to use Metro trains if the services become attractive and reliable, while those from the lower income preferred buses because of the cost aspect, according to the research.

Women also walk more as the network connectivity for transport is not better linked. So, to get to the public transport they prefer to walk, the study said.

Notably, the study done by the IISc institute corroborates the research by Sweden experts that men had a higher carbon footprint than women.

The study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology in 2021 stated that men were more likely to spend money on high-emitting categories, such as gasoline for cars, 70% more than women on that expenditure. Whereas Women spent more on health care, clothing and furniture — consumer categories that were less emitting.

(With inputs from agencies)

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