Work

We have to talk about overconsumption (in three different ways)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Overconsumption remains a controversial topic in much discourse, and its definition remains hazy. Here we thus develop three definitions relevant to different scales—individual, social, and planetary. These can be used to form overlapping corridors beyond which consumption can be defined as useless, unfair, and/or unsustainable, each of which justifies different political responses. While these definitions emerge from different literatures—not all of which are concerned with environmental sustainability—we describe how all can (and should) be integrated and related to environmental limits. We then discuss the implications for understanding and modelling sustainability transitions.

Source: Environmental Research Letters

DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adb986

Authors: Joel Millward-Hopkins, Vivien Fisch-Romito

Institution: University of Lausanne

Language: English

Topic: Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,045