Shifting to Sustainable Consumption for 1.5°C: Gaps, Solutions, and New Policy Agendas

The challenge of achieving the Paris Agreement temperature goal of 1.5°C requires new policy options, one of which is sustainable consumption. While there is increased recognition of sustainable consumption solutions, there is not a lot of understanding on how to act on it. Six priorities stand out as immediate steps for bringing it onto the climate agenda.

Sustainable consumption is a demand-side approach that involves widespread lifestyle and behavior changes and, when combined with traditional supply-side efforts, informs a 1.5°C pathway. Sustainable consumption has received little attention, however, for the practical and logistical questions it invites.

The Stanley Center and the Hoffman Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy at Chatham House recently gathered a number of key actors and experts to consider ways to expand the role of sustainable consumption in global climate policy. This Policy Dialogue Brief summarizes the primary findings of that conversation, including six strategic priorities for informing, nudging, and regulating demand-side measures.