Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)
Introduction
The last few decades have seen millions of people lifted out of poverty and a number of countries reach middle-income status around the world. However, these accomplishments and changes have come at a significant environmental cost. Increasing demand for energy, food, water, and other resources has resulted in resource depletion, pollution, environmental degradation, and climate change, pushing the planet to its ecological limits. With humans consuming more resources than ever before, current global development patterns are unsustainable.
The transition to Sustainable Consumption and Production is a critical component for achieving sustainable development (SCP). This need was first highlighted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and it has since been addressed.
Sustainable Consumption and Production (Scp): has evolved over time and is defined in a variety of ways.
A commonly used definition is "the use of services and related products that respond to basic needs and improve quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials, as well as the emission of waste and pollutants over the service or product's life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations" (ISSD 1994).
UNEP provides another popular and more recent definition: "SCP is a holistic approach to minimizing the negative environmental impacts of consumption and production systems while promoting quality of life for all" (UNEP 2011).
The International Institute of Technology
SCP and Resource Efficiency
The general concept of resource efficiency is the use of fewer resource inputs to achieve the same or better output (resource input/output). It denotes the efficiency with which resources are utilized by individuals, businesses, sectors, or economies. Increased resource productivity (value added / resource use) or decreased resource intensity (resource use / value added) are two ways to improve resource efficiency. It is related to strategies such as dematerialisation and fuel-efficient vehicles.
The definition of SCP requires the preservation of resources so that future generations will not be deprived of them. It will be obvious that no production can be said to be sustainable if it wastes resources; thus, there is a direct link between resource efficiency and SCP, particularly sustainable production.
12\s1.2 Why is SCP important for long-term development?
Trends in social and economic life
The twentieth century, particularly the second half of the century, saw remarkable change and progress for humanity. Global population growth, average incomes (and consumption rates), urbanization (and infrastructure investment), and massive growth in manufacturing activities have all occurred. In many countries, these trends have greatly aided economic development by creating jobs, raising many people's material standards of living, allowing for investment in public infrastructure, and lowering poverty levels. Many countries have modernized their societies and economies, allowing for the highest level of material well-being ever. These changes were most noticeable in OECD countries and developing-country urban areas.
Global resource consumption is increasing.
Global resource consumption increased by 2.8 percent per year from 24.8 billion tonnes in 1970 to 69.9 billion tonnes in 2008. (West and Schandl, 2013). Over the last two decades, the Asia-Pacific region has accounted for the majority of growth, owing to a rapid transition in a number of rapidly developing economies, most notably China. A variety of models, each with a variety of scenarios, have been developed to forecast future global resource use.
UNEP (2011) developed three scenarios for global resource use, assuming 150 billion tonnes of global resource use by 2050 in a business-as-usual scenario. There are two possible scenarios: moderate contraction and convergence and severe contraction and convergence.
Environmental capacity to absorb waste and emissions is dwindling.
The capacity of the receiving environment to absorb emissions, waste, and changes in land use is one constant throughout these shifts in resource use. Fast-growing global metabolism – now at 70 billion tonnes – has resulted in a variety of environmental pressures and impacts, as well as an increasing overuse of environmental sinks. Since the 1970s, the most significant environmental impacts associated with emissions have been climate change (caused by a variety of greenhouse gas emissions), eutrophication (caused by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of water bodies), and a variety of human ecotoxic effects (cause by urban air pollution, indoor air pollution and toxic emissions).
Why is a sustainable consumption and production pattern required?
We are consuming more resources than ever before, far exceeding the planet's capacity for generation. Meanwhile, waste and pollution are increasing, and the wealth gap is widening. Health, education, equity, and empowerment are all harmed.
The economic divide between rich and poor continues to widen. Today, 1.2 billion people are still living in extreme poverty. So, on the one hand, we have rich people "wanting more" and poor people "needing" the necessities. Furthermore, humanity should remember that we are not alone on this planet. We share the environment with plants and animals, and we have the same right to live as humans.
Incorporate SCP into our daily lives.
To accelerate economic growth and achieve sustainable development, we must reduce carbon emissions and change our current consumption and production patterns.
The potential for cleaner production and greater eco-efficiency of production dates back to the 1980s. Reducing the natural resources used in production, as well as associated waste and emissions, benefits the environment while also saving production costs, making it an appealing strategy for businesses, particularly those in material, energy, and emission-intensive industries.
The most potential for eco-efficiency is often found in the heavy industry sectors of steel and cement, as well as in the building and transportation sectors, as well as in agriculture. Many other manufacturing activities have a high potential for lowering resource consumption and emissions. Implementing industrial symbiosis is another important way to improve the eco-efficiency of production systems.
The circular economy concept is supported by sustainable consumption and production. (UN Environment Programme)
Waste and resource management is a critical goal for achieving the goals of sustainable consumption and production. Demanding and encouraging industries to manage their waste could be a significant step toward achieving SDG No. 12.
Sustainable consumption and production can also make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation and the transition to low-carbon and green economies. To make it happen, cross-sector and multi-stakeholder collaborations across the globe are required.
It sounds difficult to do it at home, doesn't it? In fact, sustainable consumption and production patterns can be implemented at the smallest scale of community, namely in households. You could also invite friends and family to participate.
Conclusion
Sustainable consumption and production are defined as "the use of services and related products that respond to basic needs and improve quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials, as well as waste and pollutant emissions over the service or product's life cycle so…
What is the significance of this? The goal of sustainable consumption and production is to "do more and better with less," increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation, and pollution while improving quality of life.
Participating in viable environmental activities, such as consuming renewable and efficient goods and services, is referred to as strong sustainable consumption (such as electric locomotive, cycling, renewable energy).