Chapter: 8 Poverty, inequality, consumption
Course Teacher: Dr. A. R.
Sarker
Professor of Economics
The University of Rajshahi Course:506
Environmental Economics and
Policy
Overview of the chapter
After studying this chapter you should be in a position to:
understand sustainable lifestyles
explain the challenge of sustainable lifestyles;
examine the poverty-environment nexus
Sustainable lifestyles
Sustainable Lifestyles can be defined as a holistic (analytical and strategic) approach that addresses normative, structural and cultural aspects of
• lifestyles,
• ways of living,
• conditions of life
SDG 12: to ensure responsible consumption and production
Some Targets:
Sustainable management and use of natural resources
Halve global per capita food waste
Responsible management of chemical and waste
Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles
Sustainable lifestyles
“Sustainable Lifestyles” is a complex multi-level phenomenon which comprises the following
integrated (micro-macro) perspectives of social- structural and socio-cultural transformation
(including also the institutional dimension) towards sustainability:
sustainable use of products,
sustainable consumption (behaviour),
sustainable consumption patterns,
sustainable lifestyles
Sustainable lifestyles
How to become water sustainable?
How to achieve energy sustainability?
How to produce/buy and consume/utilise
sustainably?
How to commute sustainably?
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
The impact of human society on the environment is determined by the number of people on the planet and the way in which they live
Reducing the overall impact that people have on the environment can happen in only a limited number of ways:
changing lifestyles,
improving the efficiency of technology, and
reducing the number of people on the planet
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
Improving the efficiency of technology
Great gains have been made in this area in recent years and enormous further gains are possible—in energy
especially, but also in manufacturing, city planning and design, and so on. Some experts believe that resource efficiency—the amount of “bang for the buck” from resources invested—can be improved by a factor of 10 or more.
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
Stabilizing the human population
Every environmental pressure is worsened by rising numbers of people. Hopeful signs can be seen in the many countries that have approached or achieved the
“demographic transition”which yields steady or even declining populations. Nevertheless, the planet’s total population is now approaching 7 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion or so by 2050
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
Changing lifestyles
With population set to increase, and even major technological efficiency improvements unable to do the job alone, easing the economic pressure on the global environment will mean adjusting our consumption patterns and changing our
lifestyles, especially in the wealthiest nations.
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
The Paradox of Well-being
In the conventional view, the recipe for
progress is simple: the more people consume, the happier they will be. A close look at what motivates consumers uncovers a whole range of factors—family, friendship, health, peer approval, community, purpose—known to have a strong correlation with reported
happiness.
Sustainable lifestyles-The Math of Sustainability
The Paradox of Well-being
Data from around the world suggest that, at
lower levels of per capita income, more money can increase life satisfaction.
But in countries where per capita income is over
$15,000, there is virtually no connection
between the two: more money does not improve
life satisfaction
Poverty and Environment Nexus
Understanding the Linkages between Poverty and Environment • poverty is viewed as
one of the primary causes of
environmental destruction
• poor people cannot in their present state practise sustainable development (short- term
maximisers)
Poverty and Environment Nexus
Understanding the Linkages between Poverty and Environment if much of the
environmental problem is
poverty, then
eliminating poverty and poor
people through
(economic) growth becomes key
to saving the environment.
Poverty and Environment Nexus
Understanding the Linkages between Poverty and Environment
A brief review of environmental issues relevant to the poor identified the following key areas:
environment and health (including malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory problems, particularly arising from
indoor air pollution)
forest cover
soil degradation
water quantity and quality
fisheries
natural disasters.
Poverty and Environmental Problems
.
Deforestation
Deforestation serves as a proxy for the loss of critical ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as increased risk of soil erosion in steeply sloped areas.
Fragile soils/ soil degradation
Steep hillsides under intensive cultivation are
particularly vulnerable to erosion and soil degradation without terracing, and the economic return to farming steeply sloped areas is generally lower than the return to cultivating alluvial soils in river valleys
Poverty and Environmental Problems
.
Indoor air pollution
Recent research has suggested that indoor air
pollution from wood fuels is a major cause of
respiratory disease in developing countries
Poverty and Environmental Problems
.
