Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level

The document argues that Oregon cannot achieve climate-safe emission levels through individual behavioral changes or technological solutions alone. It highlights a significant 'emissions gap' where consumption-based emissions grew over 20% in 16 years, despite stabilizing in-state production emissions. The authors advocate for a shift from growth-centric neoclassical economics toward paradigms like the well-being economy, degrowth, and doughnut economics. Proposed structural interventions for Oregon include redesigning economic measurements beyond GDP, investing in the care economy, implementing carbon pricing, and adopting smart growth urban policies to ensure a just and equitable transition.

• Oregon's consumption-based emissions have increased by more than 20% over a 16-year period, even as emissions from production within the state have stabilized.
• Current projections suggest that combining existing state and federal policies with additional consumption-shifting measures (such as reducing food waste and smaller home construction) will lower Oregon's consumption-based emissions by 2050, but will still fail to meet global carbon budgets or 'fair share' per capita levels.
• Technological solutions alone are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping warming well below 2°C; most scientific scenarios require significant consumer behavioral changes, such as reducing flying and driving.
• Relying on 'green consumerism' and individual behavioral changes is often ineffective because it ignores structural barriers, such as government and business investment in carbon-intensive infrastructure (e.g., roads over public transit) and the failure to price negative externalities.
• The 'green growth' paradigm, which seeks to decouple GDP growth from environmental harm, has failed to achieve absolute decoupling in the U.S. and Oregon; efficiency gains are often offset by the Jevons Paradox, where lower costs lead to increased overall resource consumption.
• To achieve a just transition, Oregon must address the unequal distribution of emissions, as high-income households contribute disproportionately more to consumption-based emissions than low-income households.
• The authors propose several structural policy options for Oregon, including adopting alternative well-being indicators to replace GDP, implementing carbon pricing to internalize social damages, and promoting 'smart growth' urban forms to reduce reliance on cars.

APA

Ghosh, E., & Broekhoff, D. (2024). Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/discussion-2-emissions-gap.pdf

Chicago

Ghosh, Emily, and Derik Broekhoff. Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/discussion-2-emissions-gap.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ghosh |first1=Emily |last2=Broekhoff |first2=Derik |title=Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=September 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/discussion-2-emissions-gap.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ghosh2024closing, author = {Ghosh, Emily and Broekhoff, Derik}, title = {{Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/discussion-2-emissions-gap.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }