Modern businesses focus on consumers and call them “the king”. Indeed, the choices available to a consumer in the contemporary world, with goods and services moving freely across the seas, have empowered them like never before. Equally significant is the fact that consumerism all this while has helped economies grow; it has built businesses and created jobs.
Besides other socio-economic consequences, a consumer spoilt for choice, with an abundance of commodities around them, adversely impacts the planet’s health. For instance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) projects that by 2050, three Earth-like planets would be needed to provide for the resources to sustain the current lifestyle patterns. Also, the IPCC’s 5th assessment report highlights the growing share of anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to increased trading of manufactured goods across the international borders. The Sustainability Development Commission (SDC) publication in 2009 suggested that while the world GDP had almost doubled in the preceding 25 years, the emissions since 1990 had increased by almost 40 per cent.
In such a backdrop, it is difficult to overlook and not draw any linkages with the other two significant events which occurred during the same period, namely, the emergence of China as world’s factory and the contemporary global trade order getting institutionalised as World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Things however are changing as imperatives of climate response mandate calling hyper-consumerism out and laying emphasis on nudging the consumer behaviour towards sustainability through policy and technological interventions. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which by and large form the core of humanity’s action plan for the planet’s survival, underline the need for responsible consumption and production patterns.
It would be pertinent to mention here that all ancient civilisations in the world had an intrinsic characteristic of living in harmony with nature. In India, we observe that nurturing intent of well being, reverence and gratitude towards everything around us, including the inanimate, and a pursuit towards subduing desires for material comforts essentially form the very essence of our socio-cultural ethos. It is indeed not surprising at all that India is ranked highly in Greendex report, which is an assessment of sustainable consumer behaviour in different countries by National Geographic and GlobeScan.
As nation states chart their course towards a multidimensional response to climate change, it is crucial that we, the citizens, in our capacity as end consumers of a variety of goods and services take well-thought-out decisions. The points listed here are an attempt to set an agenda, towards making more informed and responsible consumer choices:
Awareness: A Case for Disclosure of Carbon Footprint of Consumer Items
While it is said that a mechanism based upon market forces has got an inherent structural capacity to address a variety of issues including the carbon question, accurate mapping of carbon footprint and discovery of a realistic carbon price has remained elusive so far, resulting in absence of any corresponding market signaling. Putting a carbon price on each and every item is indeed a complex task; however a disclosure on emissions involved may enable the consumer to make better choices. Such emission mapping should be based on life cycle terms to present a realistic assessment because even after a commodity outlives its utility, there is an emission footprint associated with its proper disposal, which needs to be accounted for.
24X7 Electricity: A Luxury Taken for Granted
Electricity is so ubiquitous and the way we have got used to it make it difficult to imagine an existence without it. However, this luxury of being carefree as we plug-in and play contributes to a quarter of total CO2 emissions globally, as reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency. A shift towards renewable would mean coping with uncertainties associated with resources like solar and wind and further requiring effective demand-side management in terms of staggering the consumption patterns through tariff and technology based measures. A consumer would need to quickly adapt to such transition.
Food: Local and Sustainable
A study published in Nature informs that food-related emissions amount to almost 34 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions globally. Fertilisers, livestock farming, changes in land use pattern, irrigation, logistics etc. are some of the major contributors to the emissions inventory related to food. A shift towards more sustainable diet regime not only cuts emissions but also has proven health benefits.
Travel: E-mobility and Self-contained Neighbourhoods
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that transport contributes almost 24 per cent of direct CO2 emissions from combustion of fuels. While technology transition is underway as far as e-mobility is concerned, as consumers we must be inclined to make greener choices like walking, cycling and using public transport. Creation of self-contained neighbourhoods with work, utility and leisure spaces in proximity thus cutting down on travel needs, along with regulations and voluntary civic action, may help in mitigating transport-related emissions.
From Use and Throw to Reuse and Recycle
Reuse and recycle is common sense. The emissions emanating from landfills, waste incineration etc. can be offset with robust recycling infrastructure, supported by consumers who prevent waste generation and then augment the efforts in segregation and repurposing.
Climate change is everybody’s problem. As governments, businesses and science scramble to find solutions to it, more informed and frugal choices made by consumers would certainly go a long way. So the next time when we are out to buy groceries from the supermarket, or crave for an exotic food platter, or nonchalantly condemn something to trash, or just casually switch those lights on, let’s be more aware and thoughtful. A climate-conscious consumer continues to be the king as s/he decisively resolves to subvert the crisis.
Ishoo Ratna Srivastav is an Indian Railway Services officer and presently working as Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, North Western Railway, Jaipur. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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