Context-

While climate change remains a global concern, certain environmental issues such as water scarcity and air pollution are often localized or regionalized. For instance, excessive water use in one region may not directly affect water scarcity in another. This localization underscores the importance of focusing on local environmental issues and understanding household environmental footprints. The "Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India" report highlights the environmental impact as below.

The Importance of Evaluating Household Environmental Footprints

●     Localized Environmental Issues: Environmental challenges like water scarcity and air pollution are often confined to specific regions. Excessive water use in one locality does not directly translate to water scarcity elsewhere. Therefore, understanding and addressing these issues at a local level is crucial.

●     Impact of Affluent Households: The recent study titled "Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India" highlights the environmental impact of affluent individuals, particularly those whose consumption exceeds basic needs. Evaluating these footprints helps identify the disproportionate impact of luxury consumption on local environmental resources.

Types of Environmental Footprints Analyzed

The study focuses on three primary environmental footprints:

●     CO2 Footprint: Represents the carbon dioxide emissions associated with household consumption, both direct and indirect.

●     Water Footprint: Measures the water usage throughout various stages of production of goods and services consumed by households.

●     Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Footprint: Captures emissions of fine particulate matter, including both embedded emissions from production processes and direct emissions from household activities.

Key Findings

Increase in Environmental Footprints with Affluence: The study reveals that all three environmental footprints increase as households move from poorer to richer economic classes. Specifically, the footprints of the richest 10% of households are approximately double the overall average across the population.

●     Air Pollution Footprint: Experienced the highest increase, with a 68% rise in the 10th decile compared to the ninth.

●     Water Footprint: Increased by 39% in the 10th decile.

●     CO2 Emissions: Rose by 55% in the 10th decile.

This indicates that Indian consumers, particularly those in the top decile, are in the 'take-off' stage of increased consumption-related environmental footprints, with the wealthiest segment exhibiting substantial increases.

Contributors to Environmental Footprints

●     Eating Out and Restaurants: Eating out and restaurants significantly contribute to the rise in environmental footprints, especially among top decile households.

●     Fruits and Nuts: The consumption of fruits and nuts is highlighted as a factor driving the increase in the water footprint in the 10th decile.

●     Luxury Consumption Items: Personal goods, jewelry, and eating out contribute to the rise in CO2 and air pollution footprints.

●     Impact of Fuels: The presence of fuels like firewood in the consumption baskets of poorer households showcases contrasting impacts of modern energy transitions. Transitioning from biomass to LPG reduces direct footprints, but affluent lifestyle choices lead to a rise in PM2.5 footprints and CO2 emissions.

 Implications for Policymakers

•  High CO2 Footprint of Affluent Households: The study notes that the average per capita CO2 footprint of the top decile in India is 6.7 tonnes per year, which is significantly higher than the global average of 4.7 tonnes in 2010 and the annual average of 1.9 tonnes CO2eq/cap required to achieve the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C. Although this is still below the levels of the average citizen in the U.S. or U.K., it underscores the urgent need for policymakers to address the high environmental impact of affluent households.
• Influence of Elite Lifestyles: Given the influence of elite lifestyles on broader societal aspirations, policymakers should prioritize efforts to nudge consumption levels of affluent households downwards. Strategies could include promoting sustainable consumption practices, incentivizing the use of environmentally friendly products, and implementing stricter regulations on resource-intensive luxury goods.

Broader Implications and Environmental Justice

●     Global vs. Local Footprints: The study emphasizes that while sustainability efforts often focus on global climate change, global environmental footprints do not necessarily align with local and regional scale footprints. However, local and regional environmental issues exacerbated by luxury consumption disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

●     Disproportionate Impact on Marginalized Groups: Water scarcity and air pollution disproportionately impact marginalized groups, further marginalizing them, while affluent sections can afford protective measures such as air-conditioned cars and air purifiers. This underscores the importance of multi-footprint analysis in addressing environmental justice concerns and ensuring equitable sustainability efforts.

Conclusion

Evaluating household environmental footprints is crucial in understanding and mitigating localized environmental issues. The study "Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India" provides valuable insights into the disproportionate environmental impact of affluent households. It highlights the significant increase in CO2, water, and PM2.5 footprints as households become richer and more affluent, particularly due to luxury consumption items. Policymakers must prioritize efforts to address the environmental footprints of affluent households to achieve sustainability goals and ensure environmental justice for marginalized communities.

Source- The Hindu