Linking SCP Policy to Local Action

How does local action link to, learn from and inform policy

work?

Chris ChurchCo-Chair ANPED

Director, CEAJune 2009

Sustainable Consumption and Production – why is this an

issue?“ The need to focus on Sustainable Consumption and Production has been with us for nearly 20 years.

The Agenda 21 document from the 1992 UN Earth Summit stresses that this is an issue for all: unsustainable consumption and production is the “major cause of continuing global environmental deterioration”, especially in richer high consuming nations

So what do we mean by this term?

Sustainable Production and Consumption (SPAC) is the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.Symposium: Sustainable Consumption. Oslo, Norway; 19-20 January 1994.

Or..

"Sustainable production and consumption involves business, government, communities and households contributing to environmental quality through the efficient production and use of natural resources, the minimization of wastes, and the optimization of products and services." Edwin G. Falkman, WBCSD

OR…"Use Less"

OR…"Treating the world as if you intended to stay“

SPAC and SCP?

At the start of this work it was common to refers to Sustainable Production and Consumption (SPAC) – putting the emphasis on the need to change production and producers

UNEP and the EU have more recently focused on Sustainable Consumption and Production, SCP, There is more of a focus on market-oriented work and the role of consumers

Some feel that this shift has not been a good idea. What do you think?

‘Strong’ and ‘Weak’ sustainable consumption

Two approaches to Sustainable Consumption 1: Choosing products and services that either are less

resource consuming, or less burdening for the environment, or less destructive for those people actually producing them (fair trade aspects). “Weak Sustainable Consumption”.

2. Reduce levels of consumption. Problematic – biut this will be necessary to avoid serious problems for the Earth and its inhabitants. “Strong Sustainable Consumption”.(From work by Sylvia Lorek)

The Policy Framework globally

The main international political process on SPAC: the Marrakech process.

Activities and procedures involved in giving  effect to the "10 year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production“

First meeting in Marrakech, Morocco in June 2003.

The Marrakech Process currently consists of international and regional "expert" meetings on sustainable consumption and production being held throughout the world.

The national framework

Paragraph 15 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)) holds that the States must:"Encourage and promote the development of a 10-year framework of programmes in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production

Few countries have done this yet

Another angle – the Commission on Sustainable Development

(CSD) Sustainable production and consumption is one of

the crosscutting issues of the agenda of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) .

The CSD will consider the 10-Year framework of programmes on sustainable production and consumption as one of the themes in the 2010/2011 cycle of its multiyear programme of work. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/consumption/Marrakech/conprod10Y.htm

Delivering change

Bringing about changes in production processes, resource consumption or household consumption, needs effective actions, appropriate concepts and tools.

The following are essential instruments to achieve sustainable consumption and production: Ecological fiscal reform Clean and eco-effective production Corporate responsibility and accountability Education for sustainable consumption and production Information and public participation for sustainable

consumption and production

The climate change linksThe world’s scientists overwhelmingly agree that

we need to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050If we fail to do so: Recent observations confirm that the worst-case IPCC

scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realised. A 2 – 4o rise will cause huge damage to human society

and ecosystems, with 100s of millions neededing to move

80% cuts will mean huge changes in how we consume and produce everything

A wide range of benefits will flow from a concerted effort to alter our energy economy now.

A low carbon society will be a focus for innovation.

In summary - Four key overview messages

Unsustainable production and consumption is the major cause of environmental and social degradation

SCP is one of the three overarching objectives of Sustainable Development (It is part of the definition of sustainable development).

SCP is not about reducing peoples standard of living, but improving everyone’s quality of life

SCP provides a framework of solutions for today’s major global problems

So where does local action come in?

Local action can be individual or collective Collective action may involve NGOs, public sector,

small businesses, other cicil society groups (faiths, sports clubs, local residents groups etc.)

Much local action has been focused on behaviour change but there is more that can be achieved locally.

Delivering sustainable change

Lasting change requires: Strong policy Effective infrastructure High levels of engagement

Local action can help with all these

Strong policy

Individuals can have some impact, but groups / organisations are more effective. Work can include

Advocacy, lobbying and campaigning on specific issues (e.g. polluting industries, waste treatment, water supplies, food quality etc.) around unsustainable C&P

Advocacy for policies to support eco-innovation (e.g.organic / local food, fair trade, energy efficiency

Encouraging / challenging local government to develop plans and strategies (e.g. around energy and carbon emissions)

Working nationally to influence and monitor national SCP action plans

Ensuring that all legislation is ‘climate–proofed’ (i.e. ot help reduce emissions)

Effective infrastructure

We need infrastructure that helps people lead low-carbon, ‘environmentally-friendly’ lives.

Much of that can be developed and delivered at a local level, through projects on Energy-saving in homes Local renewable energy schemes Water and sanitation schemes Food and ‘healthy eating’ work Local transport (including cycling and walking) Local action by civil society can often move more

rapidly that government programmes and creeate jobs etc.

High levels of engagement

Engagement involves building awareness, but also getting those aware people active and engaged. This work can take place at various levels

Basic educational work on issues around the environmental and health impacts of the consumer choices that people will make

Work with existing community organisations to ‘roll out’ and expand programmes

Encourage local governments to adopt policies and practices that will support moves to sustainable production and consumption;

Make clear the links between SCP policies and practical work on issues such as Food, Water, Energy, Transport;

Show how that local and national work has an impact on global targets and help each other to maximise our impacts;

Share news and information about what is happening nationally and regionally

Targetting local action

Local action on SCP (and other issues) needs to be focused

The right message in the right place at the right time for a specific audience.

This brings in issues of ‘social marketing’ and ‘segmentation’.

Segmentation in the UK

1: ‘Positive greens’ 18% of the population (7.6 million)‘we need to do things differently to tackle climate change’

2: ‘Waste watchers’ 12% of the population (5.1 million) ‘waste not, want not’ that’s important’

3: ‘Concerned consumers’ 14% of the population (5.7 million) ‘I think I do more than a lot of people’.

4: ‘Sideline supporters’ 14% of the population (5.6 million)‘I don’t think much about electricity I use..I’d like to do a bit more’

5: ‘Cautious participants’ 14% of the population (5.6 million)‘I do a couple of things to help the environment’.

6: ‘Stalled starters’ 10% of the population (4.1 million) ‘I don’t know much about climate change’.

7: ‘Honestly disengaged’ 18% of the population (7.4 million)‘Maybe there’ll be an environmental disaster, maybe not. Makes no difference to me’

All these groups will be present to some degree in any Western society

Adding value

A common question is ‘does local action really make a difference’?

This can be considered in terms of‘What are the alternatives?' and would they work

better?)‘What is the added value?‘What are the additional benefits?’

Our research (‘Thinking locally, acting nationally- lessons for national policy from work on local sustainability’) suggests some clear benefits.

The benefits of local action

Effective local action can deliver: Practical improvements to meet local

needs; Innovative work on new issues around

consumption More individuals getting engaged Achievement of local targets that support

national goals Evidence of what does and does not work.

Longer term action

The challenges: How do we tackle the need for ‘strong

sustainable consumption’? How do we engage with communities that are

not active? Many local issues are outside people’s own

control: how do we build skills and capacity to help people understand and engage with these issues?