Social Sustainability

Sustainable Lifestyle

Meaning statusEstablishedSource recordDirect document linkedWhy these are different

Definition

A sustainable lifestyle is a way of living whose aggregate consumption — diet, transport, housing energy, goods and services — stays within a fair share of planetary limits while supporting health and wellbeing. Analysis of "1.5-degree lifestyles" (IGES and partners) estimates compatible consumption footprints of roughly 2–2.5 tonnes CO₂e per person per year by 2030, against current averages of around 4–5 tonnes in Europe and far higher in North America — gaps dominated by car use, flights, meat-heavy diets and large heated homes.

References

www.oneplanetnetwork.orgBulk import source

This reference provides supporting context for how “Sustainable Lifestyle” is defined and used.

www.iges.or.jpBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

Overview

How it is used

The framework structures footprint calculators and campaigns, urban behaviour policy, education for sustainable development, and sufficiency research.

Why it matters

Technology alone cannot offset lifestyles that assume unlimited mobility, meat and space; sustainable lifestyles define what a good life within limits looks like.