"Enabling Sustainable Lifestyles in a Climate Emergency": the new policy brief from HOC and UNEP

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HoC Policy brief
Fig.1. Hot Or Cool Policy Brief: Enabling Sustainable Lifestyles in a Climate Emergency
2022-05-11

A new Policy Brief from UNEP and Hot or Cool Institute articulates how profound behaviour and lifestyle changes are required to address the climate crisis.

According to the Emissions Gap Report 2020 by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than two-thirds of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be attributed to households’ consumption and lifestyles. Supported by government policy, lifestyle changes could cut emissions by between 40-70 percent by 2050, making them a necessary tool in tackling the climate emergency and the race to net zero.

This work proposes how our consumption choices in hotspot domains such as food, housing, transportation and fashion needs to change to enable the path towards the transition to sustainable and equitable lifestyles. It also introduces the policy tool of choice editing as a key mechanism, urging governments and business to lead the charge, and making it easier for citizens and households to live more sustainably.

“We need to curb our appetites for stuff, and to usher in wide scale innovation for regenerative alternatives. Amid a climate crisis, too much choice can be a bad thing. This brief illustrates concrete policy strategies that offer a proposition for a value-driven and sustainable society. Applying this has the double dividend of addressing the climate challenge while also improving our collective wellbeing.” - Lewis Akenji

Download the policy brief here

Hot or Cool Institute

Image source: Hot or Cool Institute