Consumption, Climate Change and Human Security: Targeting Consumer Groups for the Mitigation of Climate Change in India

Abstract

The production of man-made goods for satisfying basic as well as extra-basic needs is endangering human security by causing climate change. When determining policy for the mitigation of climate change, there is a tendency to target production and producers. An alternative approach may be to look at consumption, and gear policy towards changing what consumers wish to purchase and consume. As India ‘develops’ in terms of a rapidly increasing GDP, it has also become the third highest emitter of Carbon Dioxide. Indians are consuming more, not only in aggregate but also on a per capita basis. Therefore, while it is well recognized that the rise in population contributes towards raising total consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, it must also be conceded that individual consumption behavior, because it impacts per capita emissions, requires the attention of policy makers. The objective of this research is to see how the quantity and composition of the average Indian’s consumption of goods and services has changed in the past two decades, and whether there are differences in consumption behavior based on rural or urban residence and on expenditure class. The changes and the differences have implications for emissions of greenhouse gases. Identifying them, therefore, helps the policy maker to locate the products as well as the consumer groups that need to be targeted.