Researching 'sustainable consumption' in Asia-Pacific cities

Kersty Hobson*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Asia-Pacific cities are experiencing substantial environmental problems, which require innovative policy approaches. One newly emergent policy strand is that of 'sustainable consumption'. This approach aims to reduce environmental degradation by encouraging all consumers to adopt more environmentally friendly modes of behaviour, especially those living in congested and environmentally degraded urban areas. Although a promising initiative, significant conceptual and practical problems exist with sustainable consumption's current policy framework. However, rather than abandon the idea completely, consumption should become central to researching environmental issues in Asia-Pacific cities. Here, a 'political ecology' approach frames all forms of consumption as revealing political, economic and cultural practices and modes of distributions that give rise to current unsustainable outcomes. Through in-depth examinations of current forms of consumption, this approach aims to offer a challenging perspective for future research into Asia-Pacific urban environmental problems.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)279-288
    Number of pages10
    JournalAsia Pacific Viewpoint
    Volume45
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2004

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