Exploring Lifestyle Carbon Footprints (Part 1)
A report released by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Aalto University, and D-mat ltd. called “1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Targets and options for reducing lifestyle carbon footprints”, has a resounding message — changes to lifestyles are a vital component to properly facing climate change. Whereas a multitude of studies have examined the prospects of technology in solving the climate crisis, this study looks beyond solely relying on technology, recognizing that changes in lifestyles are also an important part of climate change action.
The report’s methodology involved utilizing global GHG emission targets to meet the Paris Agreement under carefully compiled pathways and dividing them by predicted world populations at set years to derive a per-capita annual carbon footprint target. Then, this target was adjusted for the average share of the carbon footprint by household consumption to calculate the per-capita annual lifestyle carbon footprint target. This indicator provides targets on a per-capita basis for “emissions directly emitted and indirectly induced from the final consumption of households”.
The findings in the studied countries demonstrated that there is a massive gap between present per capita annual lifestyle carbon footprints and the established targets. This gap is larger for high income countries as they characteristically have higher carbon footprints on a per capita basis. According to the study, lifestyle carbon footprints need to be reduced by 80-93% in high income countries by 2050 to meet targets. Further evaluation of the lifestyle carbon footprints indicated that nutrition, housing, and mobility cover approximately 75% of total lifestyle carbon footprints.
The report highlights numerous options for reducing lifestyle carbon footprints including how impactful they would be in two if the studied countries Finland and Japan. The common options with the biggest potential for reductions were “car-free private travel, renewable grid energy, electric cars, vegetarian diets, renewable off-grid energy, hybrid cars, and vehicle fuel efficiency improvement.”
A key takeaway from the report is that the onus should not be on the consumer to enact a shift in lifestyles. System-wide changes are required in tandem with shifts in individual lifestyles. This means the private and public sector need to be actively involved in enabling this change. The examples of these types of changes given from the report are “a need to improve production processes, increase the supply of low-carbon products or services by the private sector, and bring about a shift in infrastructure as well as introduce more national policies in order to realise many options.” The Crane Institute’s 2019 Sustainable Budget Submission speaks directly to shifts in infrastructure for Sault Ste. Marie and gives direction to what kind of actions can be taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change and ensure a future that is sustainable, vibrant, and environmentally-sound.