We need Behaviour Change and “Life Efficiency”, because efficiency gains and clean energy will never be enough

Behaviour change – reducing emissions by changing how we live our lives – should be part of every government and think tank’s sustainable scenario, explains Schalk Cloete. That’s because impressive advances in energy efficiency and clean energy won’t be enough to contain the emissions of a world continuing with the essential task of lifting billions of people out of poverty.

But this should not be seen as a problem, says Cloete, because behaviour change is good news for us as individuals, aside from the emissions reductions. However, it does need a change of mindset, focusing on health and happiness rather than material consumption. That will, of course, lead to a reshaping of infrastructure to create emissions-friendly housing and cities, and working habits like telecommuting. He uses the metric “Life Efficiency” to make calculations and assumptions that show emissions can be reduced by a factor of five. The difficult infrastructure gains account for half of that, the softer mindset (...) Read more

Life Efficiency” to make calculations and assumptions that show emissions can be reduced by a factor of five. 

Article published on energypost.eu