There is no single actor solely responsible for the climate transition. We need efforts on all levels simultaneously, and the responsibility lies with society as a whole rather than with individual consumers. Waiting for “conscious consumers” to influence the market and politics is simply insufficient. However, there are other ways for people to drive change through collective action. For instance, as citizens, voters, association members, or neighbors, people can come together to push for change.
At the same time, we also see that businesses are, to some extent, taking the lead. That said, conflicts of interest within and between different sectors cannot be overlooked. For example, the profit motive in the private sector can conflict with more long-term societal interests in the public sector. The existing power dynamics [19] and forms of collaboration between politics, industry, and civil society may also need to shift to reach further in the climate transition.
It is also important to highlight issues of fairness, as those with the lowest per capita emissions often have the smallest consumption space. While those who consume the most, and companies that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts, could be seen as having a greater responsibility to change.
Further reading: Shifting Power Relations in Sustainability Transitions: A Multi-actor Perspective
The Practices of Collective Action: Practice Theory, Sustainability Transitions, and Social Change
About author:
Pernilla Hagbert
Researcher, Department of Urban Planning and Environment, KTH
I am a researcher in transition planning at the Division of Urban and Regional Studies at KTH. My research critically examines various interpretations (and paradoxes) of sustainability by also exploring norm-critical, alternative ways of acting and living as part of the transition to a more sustainable society. Within Mistra Sustainable Consumption, my focus is primarily on the role different actors play in promoting sustainable consumption and the potential of policy experiments.
