Moving Europe towards 1.5-Degree Lifestyles
The IPCC’s latest report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, has been described as a ‘code red for humanity’ and an urgent call to action. The planet is racing toward the 1.5-degree and 2-degree temperature rise and the latest indications from the IPCC stress the importance of consumption-based emissions.
The project led by the ZOE Institute on Policy Pathways to 1.5-Degree Lifestyles is well underway toward integrating behavioral and infrastructural change into policy design to enable lifestyles that are environmentally sustainable and socially just. The first phase of our project has been successfully completed with close engagement with policymakers through workshops, interviews and online discussions involving experts in the fields of sustainable consumption, equity and consumption-based emissions.
In June, we entered the second phase with our first Policy Lab. Together with EU policy makers and experts, we explored opportunities and policy designs for feasible, ambitious and widely acceptable policies that enable European citizens to lead meaningful, healthy and just lives within planetary boundaries. The first Policy Lab gave the opportunity to open a dialogue on the importance of changing the way we eat, travel, consume and live, the impact that EU policies already have on lifestyles, the importance of equity, and the distributional effects of EU environmental and climate policies.
The Policy Lab series will continue in the autumn with thematic Policy Labs focusing on the hotspot areas food, mobility, and housing.
What distinguishes the ZOE Institute’s approach to 1.5-Degree Lifestyles is its strong focus on equity considerations. Upcoming policy papers on food, mobility and housing will include a policy map that sorts existing policies/policy proposals according to their impact on both equity and 1.5-Degree Lifestyles. These policy briefs will serve as a basis for our upcoming Policy Labs and a spark for discussions among professionals from science, civil society, and policy making. They will soon be made available on the project website.
Let’s create future-fit policies for Europe together!
For more information on the project Policy Pathways to 1.5-Degree Lifestyles, visit the project website.
