Can we shop our way to Sustainability?

Can we shop our way to sustainability?

by Alexis Morgan, senior manager at WWF

Our world advances because we have needs. Not just basic needs! We have lots of other needs and we always demand for more, bigger, better, and, often times, newer. Yes we are part of the buying culture! It is so embedded in us that if we stop buying, the world is in trouble! In fact, due the current financial crisis, people start saving and reduce buying, but it is actually making things worse! Apparently, we’re supposed to spend more to fix this problem! Yes, it’s that unbelievable.

Will the same model work on climate change issues? Can we shop our way to sustainability? Whether you agree with it or not, we are already doing it!

• We buy carbon credits so we can be ‘carbon neutral’ when traveling with fossil fuel powered transportations – how about reduce unnecessary travel?
• We buy wide screen LCD TVs to replace those old and clunky ones - how about watch less TV?
• We buy energy efficient furnace and air conditioners – how about adjusting the temperature setting?
• We buy timers and sensors to turn off lights – how about learning and practicing turning off lights using our fingers when we leave the room?

The list goes on…. I agree that if we must buy, we ought to choose a green option, but if we think that buying green will ultimately bail us out of climate change, then we have work to do. Fuel cell cars (which will not happen for a long, long time) and electric cars are not the solution to traveling 50km to and from work; solar panels and wind turbines are not the solution to having three TVs and two XBOXes for a family of two; and carbon sequestration is not the solution to increasing CO2 production!

For me, my answer is No, we can not shop our way to sustainability!