ABSTRACT
The goal to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and reduce associated emissions is certainly important, but more substantial movement will require policies that can move the majority, not just the committed fringe, toward less environmentally destructive practices. This chapter traces the development of the contemporary emphasis on consumer responsibility and explores its transformative potential relative to the urgency of adaptation in the age of climate change and high consumption. It begins with an historical review of the emergence of sustainable consumption as a dominant theme in international sustainable development, in environmental movements, and more recently, governmental climate mitigation policies. The chapter discusses the promise of encouraging more consumer responsibility and briefly reviews empirical studies to illustrate some positive outcomes. It addresses critiques of consumer-based environmental governance. The chapter links various perspectives to their policy implications and proposes strategies that might help to reconcile both the promise and perils of efforts to achieve more sustainable consumption patterns and reduce associated emissions.
