Human behaviour such as consumption decisions can be assessed by their consequences on global and local level. Actions that limit the opportunities and capability of human beings are harmful. They might, for instance, limit diverce life, increase land desertification or border freedom. Useful actions expand people´s opportunities and increase well-being.
The following four human centered principles (sustainable development is human centered ideology) help to evaluate direct or indirect human activities in the context of sustainable development. The first described consumption habit and routine has the most harmful consequences while the effects of the last one are the most limited. The principles overlap in real life.
1. Consumption habit that, if continued at the current or forecasted global rate, endanger the survival of human beings.
2. Consumption habit that significantly reduce life expectancy or other basic health indicators.
3. Consumption habit that may cause species extinction or that violate human rights.
4. Consumption habit that reduce quality of life.
Systems thinking is the way to realize the consequences above. For example, present consumerism is not possible without huge amount of energy. Most of this energy (85-90 %) is procuded by fossil fuels. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering calculated the greenhouse impacts and health damage costs of different power generation technologies:
– 39 eur/MWh for brown coal,
– 32 eur/MWh for black coal,
– 14 eur/MWh for natural gas,
European coal is responsible for 0.12 deaths from accidents, 25 deaths from pollution and 225 cases of serious illness per terawatt hour of electricity generated.
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