Purchasing and climate change

 

As much as 70% of the total greenhouse emissions and 90% of the total water use for which each one of us is responsible may come from outside the home in the food and other things we buy and consume. That's not including the electricity, gas, fuel or water you purchase for use at home or road travel.

To an extent, energy use is embedded into almost everything that is made, grown and transported. How much energy is used and how much greenhouse gas produced (termed the total embodied energy and embodied carbon emissions respectively) depends on factors such as the material sources and production processes used, recyclability of the product, and its transportation.

Similarly, "virtual water" is the total volume of water that is used to grow, manufacture and maintain a product. The table below gives an idea of the virtual water content of some everyday items.

Source: Water footprint of nations (http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Hoekstra_and_Chapagain_2007.pdf)

 

How does climate change affect our purchasing patterns?

 

As the climate changes, water and some other resources will become scarcer. This will significantly affect the cost and availability of many of the products we currently take for granted.

Equally, preventing further climate change means switching to far less greenhouse-intensive energy sources, technologies and products. As nations set targets and introduce instruments to limit the production of greenhouse gas emissions (such as the Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme), the cost of energy will rise significantly, pushing up the prices of products and services that use energy.

More critically, the way we produce and consume is a primary reason for excessive energy, water and resource use, and we need to make big changes to the way we consume and purchase if we want a low-carbon, sustainable and liveable future.