The problem of unsustainable
production and consumption patterns
Unsustainable
production and consumption patterns underlie most of the world's worsening
environmental and social trends, from the degradation of ecosystems
to the deepening gap between the world's under-consuming poor and their
more affluent neighbors.
Despite
growing awareness that 20% of the world's population consume and pollute
80% of its resources and that policy tools for institutional change
are available, resistance remains strong. Greater effort is needed encouraging
networking, knowledge exchange and dialogue, and collaborative strategies
among those working on these issues.
Achieving sustainable production and consumption (SPAC) patterns, from the local to the global levels, in personal and institutional practice and policy, is essential to reversing these trends.