While the advance in technologies can lower emissions substantially, the magnitude and speed of necessary cuts in GHG emissions require significant and rapid changes in predominant lifestyles as well, especially in high-consuming societies.
The responsibility for causing climate change is strongly skewed, with the wealthy and those living in high-income countries causing a disproportionate share of emissions.
The current global average lifestyle carbon footprint is 4.6 t CO2e per person, there are vast disparities. For instance, in Canada, the average footprint is more than 14 t CO2e per person, the UK 8.5, South Africa 4.6, and India 3.0 t CO2e.
As well as inequality among countries, there is also unequal impacts of consumption across different income groups. The lifestyles of the wealthiest 10% of the world’s population (broadly speaking, most middleclass persons living in industrialised countries), are responsible for almost half of the global emissions, while the lifestyles of the wealthiest 1% are responsible for about twice as many GHG emissions as the poorest 50%. These lifestyles also influence global aspirations and drive consumption. With a limited carbon budget and resource capacity, continuously increasing consumption by the already rich precludes the poor from opportunities to increase their own consumption and wellbeing. In addition, the carbon intensive lifestyles in industrialized countries also set the consumption aspirations in the rest of the world.
Efforts to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions need to consider these stark inequalities and be based on principles of fairness. This is illustrated by the concept of a fair consumption space (Figure 1), which stresses the need to curb overconsumption while ensuring consumption opportunities needed for meeting basic needs, decent living standards, and human dignity.
Figure 1. A fair consumption space for sustainable lifestyles
Based on the IPCC’s assessment of remaining carbon budgets and emission reduction pathways, the 1.5-Degree Lifestyles report estimates that by 2030 the average global lifestyle carbon footprint should not exceed 2.5 tonnes CO2e (tCO2e) per person per year, and by 2050 it should have fallen below 0.7 tCO2e. In 2019, the global average lifestyles carbon footprint was 4.6 t CO2e – almost twice the target for 2030.
Research on the environmental impacts of consumption consistently finds that four domains are the most critical for environmental sustainability: food, housing, transport, and consumption of other goods and services. Figure 2 shows the composition of the average carbon footprint by domains of consumption for ten countries analysed in the 1.5-Degree Lifestyles report. The data confirms the significance of the lifestyle domains mentioned above. The figure also shows the gap between current footprints and 1.5-degrees targets for 2030 and 2050; disparities in impacts of lifestyles between high-income and low-income countries; and country specific hotspots.
Figure 2. Average lifestyle carbon footprints and breakdown between consumption domains for selected countries (2021).
虽然技术进步可以大幅降低温室气体排放，但温室气体排放的削减幅度和速度还需要对主要生活方式进行重大而迅速的改变，尤其是在高消费社会。
导致气候变化的责任严重倾斜，富人和生活在高收入国家的人产生了不成比例的排放量。
目前全球平均生活方式碳足迹为每人 4.6 吨 CO2e，但是存在巨大差异。 例如，在加拿大，人均足迹超过 14 吨二氧化碳当量，英国为 8.5，南非为 4.6，印度为 3.0 吨二氧化碳当量。
除了国家之间的不平等，不同收入群体的影响也不平等。 世界上最富有的 10% 人口（广义上讲，大多数生活在工业化国家的中产阶级）的生活方式造成了近一半的全球排放，而最富有的 1% 人口的生活方式造成的温室气体排放量大约是最贫困的 50%群体的两倍。 富有群体的生活方式也影响全球欲望并推动消费。 在碳预算和资源容量有限的情况下，已经富有的人不断增加消费，使穷人没有机会增加自己的消费和福祉。 此外，工业化国家的碳密集型生活方式也设定了世界其他地区的消费愿望。
迅速减少温室气体排放的努力需要考虑这些明显的不平等，并以公平原则为基础。 公平消费空间的概念（图 1）说明了这一点，该概念强调需要遏制过度消费，同时确保满足基本需求、体面生活水平和人类尊严所需的消费机会。
图 1. 可持续生活方式的公平消费空间
关于消费对环境影响的研究一致发现，四个领域对环境的可持续性最为关键：食品、住房、交通以及其他商品和服务的消费。 图 2 显示了 1.5 度生活方式报告中分析的 10 个国家/地区按消费领域划分的平均碳足迹构成。 数据证实了上述生活方式领域的重要性。 该图还显示了当前足迹与 2030 年和 2050 年 1.5 度目标之间的差距； 高收入国家和低收入国家之间生活方式影响的差异； 和国家特定的热点。
图 2. 选定国家（2021 年）的平均生活方式碳足迹和消费领域之间的细分。
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