The urbanrural divide: exploring energy poverty determinants for eight countries in Europe and the Middle East

Abstract

Energy poverty is a complex phenomenon requiring further and deeper study to uncover its various dimensions. We address the multidimensional problem of energy poverty by examining its links to climate change and exploring its different manifestations at the rural and urban levels. This work looks deeper into 31 locations in eight countries with wide geographical and economic diversity: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, and Israel. The article aims to understand the factors determining the spatial differentiation - and especially the rural-urban divide of energy vulnerability - and discuss how climate change impacts would further exacerbate this divide in experiencing energy poverty (EP) in winter. As for influencing factors, we use social, demographic, technical and economic variables combined with temperature characteristics expressed in heating degree days. We find that energy poverty in the majority of the countries depends significantly on location, and there is no clear pattern in rural vs. urban divide of energy vulnerability. However, we stress that climate change consequences will likely leave rural areas more susceptible to energy poverty in the long-run.