ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with academic literature on sustainable consumption drawn from cultural and media studies, cultural geography and the social sciences, in order to frame the analysis within the context of debates on the role of consumption and consumerism within the politics of climate change. The ideology of consumerism promotes the notion of individual consumer rights, where individual freedom to own property and to consume it is taken to be a fundamental right of all human beings. Intensive livestock farming for meat and dairy production illustrates the interconnectedness and complexity of the global food chain and the role of food production and consumption in greenhouse gas emissions. The global Meatless/Meat free Monday campaign specifically links meat consumption to climate change and is targeted at changing the consumption practices of individuals, communities, schools, businesses, public institutions and governments. The linking of food consumption to climate change is an important way of achieve.
