IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2013 - 9

include: 1) mechanisms, whether public or private, that
allow consumers and producers to discern the relative
environmental performance of alternative products;
2) proactive producers that are willing to take the risk
of developing new products that are environmentally
distinctive; and 3) consumers who are willing to pay
a premium for such products. These three conditions
are still not enough to allow the greener product to
go mainstream, because that requires a fourth condition of cost parity relative to conventional products
[3]. Eventually society can change its preferences by
means of environmental education.

the mode of production to change, as when improving
steam engine efficiencies led historically to increases
in coal production by orders of magnitude [6].
Unintended consequences are no reason to give
up on sustainable consumption, although they should
encourage thoughtfulness. Which efficiency improvements yield systemic reductions in environmental
impacts? Let's invest public funds in them. Does the
demand for some products and services saturate with
increased income? Let's ensure that average incomes
increase to the point that everyone meets their basic
needs. Are there less harmful ways to spend freed-up
funds? Let's focus on improving quality of life and not
What are the System-Wide Effects
only on acquiring more stuff.
of Sustainable Consumption?
Recent work provides some guidance on which
Consumption is just one part of a larger system of
products and services to focus on first. Mobility, food,
economic relationships that includes producers,
and home building account for about three quarters
governments, and financiers all operating within the
of the life cycle impacts of consumption in advanced
boundaries set by the natural environment. Unintended
industrialized countries, and if we improve them we
consequences may emerge from efforts to change any
will reduce overall environmental burdens [7]. That is
part of this complex system. Let's consider two.
where public policy should focus.
U.S. President Obama's science advisor, John Holdren,
Consumer behavior has significant environmenmade his most important contribution
tal impacts, and consumers need
to public policy in 1971, when he and
help from third parties to recognize
Sometimes efficiency better choices. Consumers can only
Paul Ehrlich introduced the I = PAT
improvements save
identity, reminding us that environimprove overall outcomes in conmental impacts (I) grow with human
cert with proactive producers and an
us money that we
population (P) and affluence (A),
might then spend on encouraging and informative govmoderated by technological improveernment. Unintended consequences
greater consumption. diminish, but do not extinguish, the
ments (T) [4]. Clean growth therefore
depends on improving the efficiency
effects of sustainable consumption.
of resource use (%ΔT) more rapidly than we increase
Ask your neighbors this normative question: What is
the scale of production (%Δ(P×A)). Unfortunately, effisufficient?
ciency improvements are losing the race with only a
few exceptions. For example, production completely
swamps efficiency for pig iron, aluminum, electricity,
References
[1] A. Tukker, M.J. Cohen, K. Hubacek, and O. Mont, "The impacts of
fertilizer, and motor vehicle travel; it is a tie for freight
household consumption and options for change," J. Industrial Ecology,
rail travel, and refrigeration is one of the very few for
vol. 14, pp. 13-30, 2010.
which efficiency is winning [5].
[2] M.A. Hocking, "Paper vs. polystyrene: A complex choice," Science, vol. 251, pp. 504-505, 1991.
A related problem occurs when our responses
[3] C.J. Andrews and D. DeVault, "Green niche market development:
to efficiency improvements lead to higher levels of
A model with heterogeneous agents," J. Industrial Ecology, vol. 13,
production. There is an income effect, whereby the
no. 2, pp. 326-345, 2009.
[4] P.R. Ehrlich and J.P. Holdren, "Impact of population growth," Sciefficiency improvement saves us money that we can
ence, vol. 171, pp. 1212-1217, 1971.
then spend on greater consumption, such as driving
[5] G.E. Dahmus, "Applications of industrial ecology: Manufacturing,
farther in our energy efficient car. There is a substirecycling, and efficiency," Ph.D. dissertation in Mechanical Engineering, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, 2007.
tution effect, in which the money saved due to the
[6] S. Sorrell, "The Rebound Effect: An assessment of the evidence
improved efficiency of, say, a refrigerator, can be
for economy-wide energy savings from improved energy efficiency,"
spent on alternatives, such as a jet-fueled travel vacaRep., Science Policy Research Unit, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, U.K.,
2007.
tion. These behavioral responses lead to the take-back
[7] B.P. Weidema, S. Suh,. and P. Notten, "Setting priorities within
of 10% or more of the typical efficiency improvement.
product-oriented environmental policy," J. Industrial Ecology, vol. 10,
The outcome is more dramatic when efficiency allows
pp. 73-87, 2006.

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

FALL 2013

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