Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries

The document examines the tension between adopting low-GHG consumption lifestyles in wealthy nations and the economic stability of developing countries that rely on international trade. Using a scenario developed for the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the analysis finds that while shifting spending from imported goods to domestic services can increase the GDP of a high-income country like the U.K., it can lead to significant GDP declines in LDCs, primarily due to reduced demand for clothing and manufactured goods. The authors argue for the need to identify trade strategies that simultaneously achieve climate mitigation and poverty alleviation, such as preferentially sourcing from low-GHG, low-income regions.

• Shifting consumer behavior in high-income countries toward buying fewer goods and more services, while maintaining total spending, can reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 per cent.
• Implementing a low-GHG consumption scenario in the U.K. alone is projected to increase the U.K.'s GDP by 4.6%, while causing GDP declines in other regions: 0.2% for other high-income countries, 0.3% for lower-income countries, and 0.7% for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
• If the EU-27 and other high-income countries collectively adopted the same low-GHG consumption strategies as the U.K. scenario, the economic impact on developing nations would intensify, with lower-income country GDP dropping by up to 4.5% and LDC GDP dropping by up to 5.7%.
• The negative economic impacts on lower-income countries and LDCs are driven primarily by a reduction in the consumption of clothing and manufactured goods, whereas shifts in diet, food waste, and vehicle purchases have fewer impacts.
• The authors suggest that sourcing products from countries with low-GHG production intensity could be more effective for emission reductions than some behavior changes; for example, the GHG intensity of clothing production varies by a factor of four or more between countries.
• Potential policy options to align climate goals with development include purchasing from poor and low-GHG-intensity countries, importing higher-quality value-added goods that last longer, and investing in GHG-reducing technologies in poor countries via the Green Climate Fund or the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

APA

Erickson, P., Owen, A., & Dawkins, E. (2011). Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-PB-2012-Low-GHG-Consumption.pdf

Chicago

Erickson, Peter, Anne Owen, and Ellie Dawkins. Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-PB-2012-Low-GHG-Consumption.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Erickson |first1=Peter |last2=Owen |first2=Anne |last3=Dawkins |first3=Ellie |title=Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-PB-2012-Low-GHG-Consumption.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{erickson2011lowgreenhousegas, author = {Erickson, Peter and Owen, Anne and Dawkins, Ellie}, title = {{Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-PB-2012-Low-GHG-Consumption.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }