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Recomposing consumption: defining necessities for sustainable and equitable well-being
1CASE, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK i.gough@lse.ac.uk.
Summary
This study proposes policies for sustainable consumption in affluent nations, distinguishing necessary from surplus goods to ensure equity. It aims to reduce consumption-based emissions without harming vulnerable populations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sociology
- Economics
Background:
- Affluent nations face high consumption-based emissions.
- Current consumption patterns are unsustainable and unequally distributed.
- Public policy needs to address both environmental impact and social equity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze consumption and emissions in wealthy countries.
- To propose policies for recomposing consumption towards sustainability and equity.
- To distinguish between necessary and surplus consumption.
Main Methods:
- Outlined a theory of universal need.
- Proposed a dual strategy methodology to identify necessities.
- Applied methodology to UK consumption data and explored sustainable consumption limits.
Main Results:
- Identified a minimum bundle of necessary consumption in the UK.
- Highlighted corporate and structural barriers to sustainable consumption.
- Revealed potential for mitigation policies to exacerbate inequality.
Conclusions:
- Ecosocial public policies can advance both sustainable and equitable consumption.
- Distinguishing necessary from surplus consumption is key.
- Policy must consider distributional outcomes in unequal contexts.
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