Sustainable consumption act as an umbrella explain
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The Oslo Symposium in 1994 proposed a working definition of sustainable consumption as “the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations”.
Sustainable consumption is an umbrella term that brings together a number of key issues, such as meeting needs, enhancing the quality of life, improving resource efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, minimising waste, taking a life cycle perspective and taking into account the equity dimension. Integrating these component parts is the central question of how to provide the same or better services to meet the basic requirements of life and the aspirations for improvement for both current and future generations, while continually reducing environmental damage and risks to human health. A key issue is therefore the extent to which necessary improvements in environmental quality can be achieved through the substitution of more efficient and less polluting goods and services (patterns of consumption), rather than through reductions in the volumes of goods and services consumed (levels of consumption). Political reality in democratic societies is such that it will be much easier to change consumption patterns than consumption volumes, although both issues need to be addressed.
Underlying the current debate on sustainable consumption is a growing awareness that reforms in national economic policies are required to ensure that goods and services reflect environmental costs and so stimulate more sustainable production and consumption patterns. At the same time, countries are continuing to increase their income and gross national product. It is possible to increase incomes while reducing resource use. However, the risk remains that an increasing volume of consumption will more than outweigh improvements in energy and resource efficiencies. There will be occasions when opportunities for economic growth conflict with moves towards sustainable consumption. All actors need to be aware of such possible conflicts. If sustainable consumption is to be achieved, then it will become increasingly necessary in such situations to put sustainability first. This will not necessarily require economic sacrifices: indeed welfare and employment may be increased.
Sustainable consumption is an umbrella term that brings together a number of key issues, such as meeting needs, enhancing the quality of life, improving resource efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, minimising waste, taking a life cycle perspective and taking into account the equity dimension. Integrating these component parts is the central question of how to provide the same or better services to meet the basic requirements of life and the aspirations for improvement for both current and future generations, while continually reducing environmental damage and risks to human health. A key issue is therefore the extent to which necessary improvements in environmental quality can be achieved through the substitution of more efficient and less polluting goods and services (patterns of consumption), rather than through reductions in the volumes of goods and services consumed (levels of consumption). Political reality in democratic societies is such that it will be much easier to change consumption patterns than consumption volumes, although both issues need to be addressed.
Underlying the current debate on sustainable consumption is a growing awareness that reforms in national economic policies are required to ensure that goods and services reflect environmental costs and so stimulate more sustainable production and consumption patterns. At the same time, countries are continuing to increase their income and gross national product. It is possible to increase incomes while reducing resource use. However, the risk remains that an increasing volume of consumption will more than outweigh improvements in energy and resource efficiencies. There will be occasions when opportunities for economic growth conflict with moves towards sustainable consumption. All actors need to be aware of such possible conflicts. If sustainable consumption is to be achieved, then it will become increasingly necessary in such situations to put sustainability first. This will not necessarily require economic sacrifices: indeed welfare and employment may be increased.
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