The Earthscan Reader on Sustainable Consumption

Description

Sustainable consumption is a controversial concept: politically, socially and intellectually. Consumption drives our economies and defines our lives; making it sustainable is an enormous and essential challenge. The World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 set in place a 10-year programme of effort by national governments to develop strategies for sustainable consumption and production. The problem of changing consumer behaviour and making our lives more sustainable continues to challenge opinion-formers and policy-makers alike. This book provides a coherent synthesis of key contributions to the literature on consumption and sustainability, comprising a substantive collection of selected papers and extracts from books, journals and institutional publications. Presented with a comprehensive introductory overview, the Reader also offers an invaluable 'route map' through the complex intellectual terrain relevant to the pursuit of sustainable consumption.

TIM JACKSON is Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey in the UK and Director of the ESRC Research Group in Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE).

'This useful book lays out the case for making consumption sustainable, or at least less unsustainable. Essays by a variety of distinguished authors explore the psychological as well as social and economic factors, and end with propositions about how to understand and manage ourselves.' Sir Crispin Tickell, Chancellor, University of Kent, UK 'Professor Jackson has compiled (and contributed to) an outstanding collection of eclectic papers on the multi-faceted conundrum of consumption. This comprehensive volume frames the problem, makes the case against consumerism, unmakes it again in an intriguing section on 'resisting simplicity' and ends by 'reframing sustainable consumption.' Anyone hoping to understand the role of consumption in placing (un)sustainability among the most intractable problems confronting the modern world should begin with a thorough read of Jackson's new collection.' William E. Rees, Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada 'This is an invaluable guide to the innovative and urgent field of sustainable consumption. The way we live and the life of the planet are intertwined and this book is an excellent resource for those who wish to know.' Ed Mayo, Chief Executive, National Consumer Council, UK 'A comprehensive introduction provides an excellent guide through the complex arena of sustainable consumption.' Magazine of the IEMA 'I highly recommend this book... This reader presents a thoughtful selection of the best literature available in the field and is organized as a practical and essential framework for better understanding a very central topic at the core of many environmental issues.' Journal of Industrial Ecology