2.2 Environmental and social impact of production and consumption

Environmental Impact:

• Three domains of products are responsible for the majority of consumption-related environmental impact. These domains together sum up to 75-80% of the life cycle environmental impact in industrialized countries: housing (especially heating systems), transport (especially car use and air travel) and food and drink (especially meat and dairy).
• Food consumption and production have a considerable impact on the environment. As with other man-made activities, food production contributes to climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation and the destruction of biodiversity (Consortium, 2014).
• It is estimated that 26.8% (18.4% Agriculture, Forestry & Land use, 3.2% Waste,5.2%Chemicals&Cement Industry) of total global greenhouse gas emissions are directly caused by Agriculture, Forestry & Land use, Waste and Chemicals & Cement Industry.(Hannah,2020)
• All forms of electricity generation have an environmental impact on our air, water and land, but it varies. Producing and using electricity more efficiently reduces both the amount of fuel needed to generate electricity and the amount of greenhouse gases and other air pollution emitted as a result. Electricity from renewable resources such as solar, geothermal, and wind generally does not contribute to climate change or local air pollution since no fuels are combusted.
• The use of fossil energy carriers for heating, transportation, metal refining and the production of manufactured goods is of comparable importance, causing the depletion of fossil energy resources, climate change, and a wide range of emissions-related impacts.

Social Impact:

• If the Global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets may be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.
• Reducing food losses could have an effect on reducing global food prices, benefiting the poor, which must subsequently be aligned with increased sustainable consumption. Sustainable food systems are critical to improving food security, nutrition and wellness and to poverty alleviation. Marginalized groups such as small food producers, indigenous people and women will have increased difficulties to access natural resources as these will be scarcer and more costly.
• Striving for economic growth leads to market competition, productivity increases and to decreasing prices on products, which stimulates consumption. New technologies and products directly create new needs and stimulate consumption, and indirectly shape conditions that require people to consume more.
• We are currently consuming more resources than ever, exceeding the planet’s capacity for generation. In the meantime, waste and pollution grows, and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Health, education, equity and empowerment are all adversely affected.
• We must try to understand and appreciate the limits to which humans can push nature, before the impact is negative. Those limits must be reflected in our consumption and production patterns. COVID-19 can be a catalyst for social change. We must build back better and transition our production and consumption patterns towards more sustainable practices (United Nations, 2019).