Overconsumption
High-consumption living is the carbon culprit, not the producers
Overconsumption is one of the greatest drivers of resource use and environmental degradation globally. If SA continues on the carbon-intensive path of its economy, the wealthier it becomes as a nation the higher its emissions are likely to be. Considering that consumerist behaviour and lifestyles of developed countries are emulated by elites and the middle class in the developing world, ways of enjoying a higher standard of living decoupled from carbon clearly need to be found. Consumption-based carbon accounting offers insights and a tool to drive this quest. The carbon footprint of some of the world’s biggest cities may be 60% larger than previously estimated, according to a report released at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Cities and Climate Change Science Conference earlier in 2018. The report’s author, Michael Doust, programme director at C40 Cities, cautioned, "We’re missing the other side of the coin if we only measure emissions involved in the production of ...
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