Dalam rangka Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (Sustainable Development) disadari perlunya perubahan sikap konsumsi yang tidak sustainable, mulai dari konsumsi perorangan, rumahtangga hingga negara. Agenda 21 pada tahun 1992 dalam Bab 4 mengajak kita memikirkan pola konsumsi kita dan melakukan perubahan yang sesuai antara lain dalam hal konsumsi Energi, menekan konsumsi yang menghasilkan sampah, melakukan pendidikan belanja yang rasional, dan pemerintah diharapkan memberi contoh yang baik dalam praktek belanja-nya.
4.1. This chapter contains the following programme
areas:
(a) Focusing on unsustainable patterns of
production and consumption;
(b) Developing national policies and strategies
to encourage changes in unsustainable consumption patterns.
4.2. Since the issue of changing consumption patterns
is very broad, it is addressed in several parts of Agenda 21, notably those
dealing with energy, transportation and wastes, and in the chapters on economic
instruments and the transfer of technology. The present chapter should also be
read in conjunction with chapter 5 (Demographic dynamics and sustainability).
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Focusing on unsustainable patterns of production
and consumption
Basis for action
4.3. Poverty and environmental degradation are closely
interrelated. While poverty results in certain kinds of environmental stress,
the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the
unsustainable pattern of consumption and production, particularly in
industrialized countries, which is a matter of grave concern, aggravating
poverty and imbalances.
4.4. Measures to be undertaken at the international
level for the protection and enhancement of the environment must take fully
into account the current imbalances in the global patterns of consumption and
production.
4.5. Special attention should be paid to the demand
for natural resources generated by unsustainable consumption and to the
efficient use of those resources consistent with the goal of minimizing
depletion and reducing pollution. Although consumption patterns are very high
in certain parts of the world, the basic consumer needs of a large section of humanity
are not being met. This results in excessive demands and unsustainable
lifestyles among the richer segments, which place immense stress on the
environment. The poorer segments, meanwhile, are unable to meet food, health
care, shelter and educational needs. Changing consumption patterns will require
a multipronged strategy focusing on demand, meeting the basic needs of the
poor, and reducing wastage and the use of finite resources in the production
process.
4.6. Growing recognition of the importance of
addressing consumption has also not yet been matched by an understanding of its
implications. Some economists are questioning traditional concepts of economic
growth and underlining the importance of pursuing economic objectives that take
account of the full value of natural resource capital. More needs to be known
about the role of consumption in relation to economic growth and population
dynamics in order to formulate coherent international and national policies.
Objectives
4.7. Action is needed to meet the following broad
objectives:
(a) To promote patterns of consumption and
production that reduce environmental stress and will meet the basic needs of
humanity;
(b) To develop a better understanding of the role
of consumption and how to bring about more sustainable consumption patterns.
Activities
A) Management-related activities
Adopting an
international approach to achieving sustainable consumption patterns
4.8. In principle, countries should be guided by the
following basic objectives in their efforts to address consumption and
lifestyles in the context of environment and development:
(a) All countries should strive to promote
sustainable consumption patterns;
(b) Developed countries should take the lead in
achieving sustainable consumption patterns;
Developing countries should seek to achieve
sustainable consumption patterns in their development process, guaranteeing the
provision of basic needs for the poor, while avoiding those unsustainable
patterns, particularly in industrialized countries, generally recognized as
unduly hazardous to the environment, inefficient and wasteful, in their
development processes. This requires enhanced technological and other
assistance from industrialized countries.
4.9. In the follow-up of the implementation of Agenda
21 the review of progress made in achieving sustainable consumption patterns
should be given high priority.
B) Data and information
Undertaking
research on consumption
4.10. In order to support this broad strategy,
Governments, and/or private research and policy institutes, with the assistance
of regional and international economic and environmental organizations, should
make a concerted effort to:
(a) Expand or promote databases on production and
consumption and develop methodologies for analysing them;
(b) Assess the relationship between production and
consumption, environment, technological adaptation and innovation, economic
growth and development, and demographic factors;
(c) Examine the impact of ongoing changes in the
structure of modern industrial economies away from material-intensive economic
growth;
(d) Consider how economies can grow and prosper
while reducing the use of energy and materials and the production of harmful
materials;
(e) Identify balanced patterns of consumption
worldwide which the Earth can support in the long term.
Developing
new concepts of sustainable economic growth and prosperity
4.11. Consideration should also be given to the
present concepts of economic growth and the need for new concepts of wealth and
prosperity which allow higher standards of living through changed lifestyles
and are less dependent on the Earth's finite resources and more in harmony with
the Earth's carrying capacity. This should be reflected in the evolution of new
systems of national accounts and other indicators of sustainable development.
C) International cooperation and coordination
4.12. While international review processes exist for
examining economic, development and demographic factors, more attention needs
to be paid to issues related to consumption and production patterns and
sustainable lifestyles and environment.
4.13. In the follow-up of the implementation of Agenda
21, reviewing the role and impact of unsustainable production and consumption
patterns and lifestyles and their relation to sustainable development should be
given high priority.
D) Financing and cost evaluation
4.14. The Conference secretariat has estimated that
implementation of this programme is not likely to require significant new
financial resources.
B. Developing national policies and strategies to encourage
changes in unsustainable consumption patterns
Basis for action
4.15. Achieving the goals of environmental quality and
sustainable development will require efficiency in production and changes in
consumption patterns in order to emphasize optimization of resource use and
minimization of waste. In many instances, this will require reorientation of
existing production and consumption patterns that have developed in industrial
societies and are in turn emulated in much of the world.
4.16. Progress can be made by strengthening positive
trends and directions that are emerging, as part of a process aimed at
achieving significant changes in the consumption patterns of industries,
Governments, households and individuals.
Objectives
4.17. In the years ahead, Governments, working with
appropriate organizations, should strive to meet the following broad
objectives:
(a) To promote efficiency in production processes
and reduce wasteful consumption in the process of economic growth, taking into
account the development needs of developing countries;
(b) To develop a domestic policy framework that
will encourage a shift to more sustainable patterns of production and
consumption;
(c) To reinforce both values that encourage
sustainable production and consumption patterns and policies that encourage the
transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries.
Activities
A) Encouraging greater efficiency in the use of energy
and resources
4.18. Reducing the amount of energy and materials used
per unit in the production of goods and services can contribute both to the
alleviation of environmental stress and to greater economic and industrial
productivity and competitiveness. Governments, in cooperation with industry,
should therefore intensify efforts to use energy and resources in an
economically efficient and environmentally sound manner by:
(a) Encouraging the dissemination of existing
environmentally sound technologies;
(b) Promoting research and development in
environmentally sound technologies;
(c) Assisting developing countries to use these
technologies efficiently and to develop technologies suited to their particular
circumstances;
(d) Encouraging the environmentally sound use of
new and renewable sources of energy;
(e) Encouraging the environmentally sound and
sustainable use of renewable natural resources.
B) Minimizing the generation of wastes
4.19. At the same time, society needs to develop
effective ways of dealing with the problem of disposing of mounting levels of
waste products and materials. Governments, together with industry, households
and the public, should make a concerted effort to reduce the generation of
wastes and waste products by:
(a) Encouraging recycling in industrial processes
and at the consumed level;
(b) Reducing wasteful packaging of products;
(c) Encouraging the introduction of more
environmentally sound products.
C) Assisting individuals and households to make
environmentally sound purchasing decisions
4.20. The recent emergence in many countries of a more
environmentally conscious consumer public, combined with increased interest on
the part of some industries in providing environmentally sound consumer
products, is a significant development that should be encouraged. Governments
and international organizations, together with the private sector, should
develop criteria and methodologies for the assessment of environmental impacts
and resource requirements throughout the full life cycle of products and
processes. Results of those assessments should be transformed into clear
indicators in order to inform consumers and decision makers.
4.21. Governments, in cooperation with industry and
other relevant groups, should encourage expansion of environmental labelling
and other environmentally related product information programmes designed to
assist consumers to make informed choices.
4.22. They should also encourage the emergence of an
informed consumer public and assist individuals and households to make
environmentally informed choices by:
(a) Providing information on the consequences of
consumption choices and behaviour so as to encourage demand for environmentally
sound products and use of products;
(b) Making consumers aware of the health and
environmental impact of products, through such means as consumer legislation
and environmental labelling;
(c) Encouraging specific consumer-oriented
programmes, such as recycling and deposit/refund systems.
D) Exercising leadership through government purchasing
4.23. Governments themselves also play a role in
consumption, particularly in countries where the public sector plays a large
role in the economy and can have a considerable influence on both corporate
decisions and public perceptions. They should therefore review the purchasing
policies of their agencies and departments so that they may improve, where
possible, the environmental content of government procurement policies, without
prejudice to international trade principles.
E) Moving towards environmentally sound pricing
4.24. Without the stimulus of prices and market
signals that make clear to producers and consumers the environmental costs of
the consumption of energy, materials and natural resources and the generation
of wastes, significant changes in consumption and production patterns seem
unlikely to occur in the near future.
4.25. Some progress has begun in the use of
appropriate economic instruments to influence consumer behaviour. These
instruments include environmental charges and taxes, deposit/refund systems,
etc. This process should be encouraged in the light of country-specific
conditions.
F) Reinforcing values that support sustainable
consumption
4.26. Governments and private-sector organizations
should promote more positive attitudes towards sustainable consumption through
education, public awareness programmes and other means, such as positive
advertising of products and services that utilize environmentally sound
technologies or encourage sustainable production and consumption patterns. In
the review of the implementation of Agenda 21, an assessment of the progress
achieved in developing these national policies and strategies should be given
due consideration.
Means of implementation
4.27. This programme is concerned primarily with
changes in unsustainable patterns of consumption and production and values that
encourage sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles. It requires the
combined efforts of Governments, consumers and producers. Particular attention
should be paid to the significant role played by women and households as
consumers and the potential impacts of their combined purchasing power on the
economy.
