Applying Foresight to Policy Design for a Long-Term Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles

Caixia Mao,Lewis Akenji,Ryu Koide

doi:10.3390/su12156200

Abstract

Increasing attention is being paid to lifestyles in sustainability research and policymaking. Applying a foresight approach to sustainable lifestyles supports this increased focus by highlighting possible futures while also empowering citizens through a participatory process. Foresight has its origins in theory and practice to serve the policymaking process by involving diverse stakeholders. In the search to empower various stakeholders in the decision-making process on foresight, this paper analyses the results of a global expert survey to identify factors shaping future lifestyles. Survey results show that in consumption, the reasoning behind increased or reduced consumption matters; in infrastructure, affordability and equal accessibility is a concern; there are some uncertain implications of the changes in work and education, and physical and mental health, which need further exploration in the desired direction. Those factors should be included in public discussions on future sustainable lifestyles through adopting sustainable lifestyles as a foresight topic. Additionally, the survey results on stakeholders’ changing roles between now and 2050 illustrate how foresight could empower stakeholders through a bottom-up policymaking approach to realise a long term-transition to sustainable lifestyles.

Highlights

Scholars and policymakers are increasingly paying attention to current ways of living and their impact on sustainability
The Paris Agreement stated the goal for society to transit towards net zero-carbon by the second half of this century, to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2 ◦C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 ◦C above the pre-industrial levels [1]
The interpretation of sustainable lifestyles differs from person to person and from group to group, so instead of offering analysis on the sustainability of the discussed changes of future lifestyles from the survey results, we provide different sets of factors for the public to consider when engaging in discussions on sustainable lifestyles

Summary

Introduction

Scholars and policymakers are increasingly paying attention to current ways of living and their impact on sustainability. The Paris Agreement stated the goal for society to transit towards net zero-carbon by the second half of this century, to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2 ◦C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 ◦C above the pre-industrial levels [1]. Within this context, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 ◦C recognises the changes in human behaviour and lifestyles as enabling conditions for the 1.5 ◦C consistent systems transitions’ [2]. Sustainable lifestyles can be seen both as an approach to achieve long-term sustainability and as a policy objective to ensure the delivery of high quality of life to citizens

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Conclusion