The power of people-centred action to keep 1.5 alive
At the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), Consumers International delivers an open letter to governments, calling for action on consumption to be addressed within national climate strategies. Doing so will help meet net zero, promote economic growth, and meaningfully engage people and communities in the transition.
This week, COP29 is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan. Leaders gather just days after reports that 2024 is 'virtually certain' to be the hottest year on record and the first to temporarily break 1.5 degrees of warming. It has also been a year in which communities around the world have been devastated by climate-related disasters: claiming lives, flattening homes, and damaging livelihoods.
These scenes take place against an anxious political backdrop, where recent events have put global compacts on climate change at risk, and which threaten to see a leadership vacuum in global climate policy.
And yet, cut through the noise and there is real ambition and desire for action - across borders and political divides. A recent Consumers International report published together with GlobeScan surveyed 30,000 consumers across 31 countries, finding that 94% supported a shift to more sustainable lifestyles. Notably, people demand support to enable this shift - 83% hold governments responsible for addressing climate change, as well as 82% holding companies responsible. There is an opportunity for leaders at COP29 to seize this momentum, building climate policies which confront the challenges facing consumers and meet people's rights and needs.
Specifically, this COP is an important moment to secure commitment for robust and comprehensive Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, which have to be revised by March 2025. Through NDCs, governments have the chance to take action on consumption as well as production, to mitigate the environmental impact of unsustainable lifestyles, and to build resilience against emerging consumer harms.
The power of people-centred action
In the complex mix of actions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, the impact of consumer action should not be overlooked. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), demand-side strategies could reduce green house gas emissions by 40-70%. Consumers hold immense purchasing power, and the decisions we make each day - such as how we travel, eat, or power our homes - are critically important to reducing emissions.
However, consumers will only be able to make these changes if they are given adequate support to do so. To see fast and fair change, sustainable lifestyles must be made accessible and affordable for all consumers, and deliver interventions that meet people's rights and needs.
Ahead of COP29, we delivered our open letter to national governments, laying out the key actions needed to empower consumers to transition towards sustainable lifestyles. Recognising that these will vary across national contexts, we call for measures such as investing in infrastructure to make public transport a viable option for consumers, making sustainable food choices more affordable, or subsidising access to energy efficient technologies.
A network of new paths and cycleways in Sheffield, UK. Credit: Alastair Johnstone / Climate Visuals
Enabling sustainable consumption will deliver real improvements to people's lives
Not only will supportive interventions on consumption push the needle for the climate, but when done successfully, they will deliver real improvements to people's lives, building more reliable access to basic needs such as food and energy, and contributing towards stable, thriving economies.
For example, the Food Systems Economics Commission has highlighted that food systems transformation could add up to US$10 trillion to the global economy each year - and that 70% of this benefit can be attributed to dietary shifts. Meanwhile, the benefits of the energy transition are already being established; per the International Energy Agency, clean energy accounted for around 10% of global GDP growth in 2023. These cost savings will in turn support socio-economic growth and allow additional capital to help nations finance the transition.
People will also enjoy enhanced consumer rights: by enabling people-centred action, consumers will benefit from a marketplace which prioritises safe, sustainable products, nutritious food, and economic wellbeing.
Greenhouse Farming in Rural India, a couple growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, reducing water requirements by 90%. Source: sara hylton / Climate Visuals Countdown
Raising the consumer voice at COP29
Without understanding consumers' rights and needs, transformative action on consumption will not be possible, and it is essential that the consumer voice is engaged within processes such as COP29 and the revision of the NDCs. Alongside our Members around the world, we stand ready to support governments and other actors ready to implement change. Through our work on sustainable consumption, we have developed unique insights on consumer attitudes and pushed forward new models to engage and support consumers in the transition.
As countries work to update their climate action plans, we will be in Baku, discussing with governments and other stakeholders the actions needed to achieve sustainable consumption. Following COP and in the run up to the NDC deadline, we will continue to work with and through our Members around the work to lead joint conversations with governments on how to achieve sustainable consumption in nationally relevant contexts.
To connect with our team at COP29, contact impact@consint.org. We are also excited to co-host or contribute to the following discussions, where you can hear more on our message for people-centred action:
'From Field to Plate: Aligning food systems with climate and biodiversity goals’.
Monday 18 November, 18.30-20.00 AZT, Side Event Room 6.
Hosted by Consumers International with partners. More information.
Building a Unified Narrative: International Standards as Catalysts for Climate Action
Tuesday, 19 November, 12:45 – 13:45 AZT, Standards Pavilion, Blue Zone B15
Hosted by International Organization for Standardization (ISO). More information.