INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMPTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE 1

Topic objectives 1) Describe the importance of consumption studies (C2) 2) Explain the relationship between consumption and quality of life (C2) 2

Contents  How do you define consumption? From what perspectives are you looking at?  Are there any other ways of defining consumption?  How do you measure consumption?  What is your consumption style and its impacts to environment?  Are you happy with your quality of life?  What is the link between consumption and quality of life?  Does it mean higher consumption indicates better quality of life? What is consumption? What is Quality of Life? Relationship between consumption and Quality of Life 3

What is consumption? 4 The process in which the substance of a thing is completely destroyed, used up, or incorporated or transformed into something else. Consumption of goods and services is the amount of them used in a particular time period. - By individuals, households, government and firms.

Consumption Studies  - Consumption studies emerged across several Social Science and Humanistic Disciplines  - Consumption is studies in the fields of consumer behavior, sociology, political, economy, history, geography, psychology, anthropology and media studies. Consumption Studies sociologyeconomypsychology Consumer behavior 5

Ecological Economics of Consumption  Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary field of academic research that aims to address the interdependence and coevolution of human economies and natural ecosystems over time and space.transdisciplinarycoevolution economiesecosystems  Studies of consumption investigate how and why society and individuals consume goods and services, and how this affects society, human and environment relationships. 6

7 Three circles enclosed within one another showing how both economy and society are subsets of our planetary ecological system.

Consumption and Environment  Early research on the interface between the economy and the environment focused on environmental impact of production in relation to resource depletion and pollution and on the demand for environmental goods such as pleasing landscapes.  During 1970s, consumer behavior research discipline embarked on consumption in an environmental perspectives. Energy crisis led to interest in energy use and saving behavior. 8

The present scenario 9

Impacts of Production and Consumption  Impacts caused by emissions: i. Climate change caused by Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) ii. Eutrophication i.e. over fertilization caused by pollution with nitrogen and phosphorus iii. Human and ecotoxic effects caused by urban and regional air pollution, indoor air pollution and other toxic emissions Impacts related to resource use i. Depletion of abiotic resources such as fossil energy carriers and metals ii. Depletion of biotic resources notably fish and wood iii. Habitat change and resource competition due to water and land use 10 UNEP: Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production 2010

Figure 2.4: Effect of ecosystem change on human health (Corvalan et al., 2005). Climate Change Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Forest Clearance and Land Cover Change Land Degradation and Desertification Wetlands Loss and Damage Biodiversity Loss Freshwater Depletion and Contamination Urbanisation and its Impacts Damage to Coastal Reefs and Ecosystems 1. Direct health impacts Floods, heat waves, water shortage, landslides, increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, exposure to pollutants 2. ‘Ecosystem-mediated’ health impacts Altered infectious diseases risk, reduced food yields (malnutrition, stunting), depletion of natural medicines, mental health (personal, community), impacts of aesthetic / cultural impoverishment 3. Indirect, deferred, and displaced health impacts Diverse health consequences of livelihood loss, population displacement (including slum dwelling), conflict, inappropriate adaptation and mitigation Escalating human pressure on the global environment Environmental changes and ecosystem impairment Examples of health impacts 11

Why QOL QOL emerged and discussed for 2 concerns: 1. The feeling on the part of modern industrial society, despite impressive gains in affluence, ease of communication and leisure, has not made any significant overall progress in improving man’s lot. Mankind prospect is less attractive than they were 25 years ago. 2. The desire for an index of social well-being analogous to measures of economic wellbeing. This measurement can provide for purposes of government decision-making and intellectual interest to measure social progress. 12

State of life-enhancement ‘happiness’ and QOL  Unlike pleasure, happiness is episodic. Feelings of pleasure and pain are episodes, and can occur both in the context of a happy life and in an unhappy life- ‘feeling happy now’ and ‘being happy’!  Happiness is closely related to or may be even identical with fulfillment. Each person has certain talents or capabilities or potentialities. Whether he is happy or not depends to a large extent on whether these capabilities are related.  On this notion, QOL consists in the obtaining of the necessary conditions for happiness of the people in a region or society (social well being). 13

Concept of Quality of Life  Phrase QOL is dated back in 1964 but no consensus on its meaning.  In a simple term QOL is used to evaluate the general wellbeing of individuals and societies.  Related concepts include standard of living, freedom, human rights, satisfaction and happiness.  Life in this phrase refers does not refer to my or your life but to “life in a certain society” or “life in a certain region of the earth’s surface”. 14

Quality of Life  Are you happy with your life?  Are you satisfied with your life?  How do you rate your QOL?  What parameters do you use to measure it?  Do you feel that your QOL is improving from year to year?  What is your ideal level of QOL? 15