This policy brief provides a research overview of the equity implications of ‘1.5-Degree Lifestyles’. Thus far, the absence of a policy focus on the high-carbon activities of high-income groups raises substantial ethical and equity concerns.
Appropriate policies in this area must address several key challenges:
- The centrality and interconnectedness of the most climate-relevant consumption areas (food, mobility, and housing)
- The strong link between carbon footprint and income
- The need to explicitly design fairness into emissions reduction strategies, allowing for diverse lifestyles which respect equity and planetary boundaries
Price signals are commonly touted as the solution to reducing unsustainable consumption, and while crucial, they do not take fairness into account and may alone be insufficient. Policies that aim to foster lifestyle change must be carefully designed to address the root causes of unsustainable consumption in a holistic way.
This policy brief stresses the importance of a demand-side perspective and argues for a needs-based approach to ensure public acceptance of meaningful climate policies, building on fundamental concepts such as consumption corridors, personal carbon budgets, and universal basic services. Focusing on the EU policy context, the paper introduces a map of policy instruments that support or hinder equitable 1.5-Degree Lifestyles.