14 - Sustainable and Intelligent Consumption

Summary

Sustainable Consumption was identified during the Rio Summit of 1992, as the key challenge for ensuring sustainability and thus became the subject of Chapter 4 of Agenda 21. Almost ten years from the Rio Summit, discussion on this challenge is continuing around the globe. Analysis of trends, for the period, 1950 to the early 1990s shows that world population has increased more than two folds (2.2 times), food production has increased almost threefolds (2.7 times), energy output by more than four-fold (4.4 times), and the economic performance by more than five-folds (5.1 times). This increasing trend of consumption is worrisome as predicted by the Boston: Stockholm Environmental Institute. It has been predicted that over the next 50 years the growth rates of consumption could continue well beyond that of population if we assume a ‘business as usual’ scenario [Heap, 2000].

Strain on the environment, pollution, destruction of ecosystems, and undermining of quality of life are some of the undesired effects of the ever-increasing consumption patterns. Poverty and deprivation are increasing at an alarming pace alongside disparity in incomes and consumption as a common feature in all the countries; especially so in the developing countries. The resultant growing inequities are also not socially acceptable. The need of the day is to learn to husband consumption in an equitable manner and ensure environmentally and socially sustainable patterns of consumption [Ruffing, 1998; Masera, 2001].