In dialogue on climate change, it is often said that certain people and parts of the world will feel the effects more so than others. Likewise, responsibility lies with certain countries and ways of living more than others. Generally, countries using great amounts of fossil fuels, propelling deforestation, or generating waste or seen as those responsible. Among that group is another source of responsibility studied for a newly published paper in the Journal of Industrialized Ecology: consumerism. It is common knowledge that China produces a great number of consumer products, and that the United States consumes much of that. The study quantifies national household consumptions to find which countries are most responsible for climate change based on consumption. It uses a wider range of consumption variables and considers their interactions to offer strategies to mitigate problematic consumption without increasing other sorts of problematic consumption.
The study found that household consumption resulted in 22 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2007, or 65% of the global carbon footprint. It is not uncommon to see percentages like this given for different types of emission sources: agriculture, industry, vehicles, fossil fuels, etc., but these numbers provide a quantitative basis for alternative perspectives. France and South Korea, for example, may not be perceived as countries among the most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. If their household consumption and imports are considered, though, they are above average. China and India have among the lowest contribution through household consumption, though they are nearly always mentioned when climate change responsibility questions are raised. Similarly, Indonesia and Brazil are often cited as driving climate change due to rain forest decline and questionable agriculture but both countries fall far below the global average in emissions due to household consumption. The study reinforces the critical need for lifestyle changes. However, it also gives some hope that real progress can come from changes at the level of the individual.
Reference
Ivanova, D. et al. Environmental Impact Assessment of Household Consumption. 2016. Journal of Industrial Ecology.
