Shifting to Sustainable Consumption for 1.5°C: Gaps, Solutions, and New Policy Agendas
Supply-side reductions in emissions have dominated thinking to date. An area that has received less attention is that of demand-side, lifestyle, and behavior changes to reduce emissions.
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The Paris Agreement set a global ambition of maintaining temperature rise to within 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. New policy options are needed given that current trends are likely to overshoot targets and lead to irreversible environmental consequences. Here we offer six strategic priorities for shifting consumption to help meet these emission targets.
The Hoffmann Centre and the Stanley Foundation recently gathered a group of experts to identify how sustainable consumption and other demand-side policy measures can make valuable contributions to reducing emissions. Sustainable consumption has often been relegated to the side-lines, either because it appeared politically infeasible or it was unclear how to take action.
This policy dialogue brief summarizes key findings from the workshop and identifies priority actions for policy, civil society and the private sector to push for sustainable consumption.
