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Why do you want to shift to a lower carbon lifestyle?

Apart from the fact that we have a miniscule window of opportunities to avert catastrophic climate change, at the moment carbon is a good proxy for overall sustainability. This means that if I have a low carbon lifestyle I am likely (but not always) to have a lower impact on the other serious crises we face such as biodiversity loss, top soil erosion and resource depletion. Of course if we manage to replace our high level of energy use with renewables, carbon won't be such a good indicator for that any more..... That's why I am also trying to have a low energy, sustainable lifestyle as well!!!

Which country are you based in now?

England

Are you part of a network/ group of young leaders for change?

I am part of the British Council's Climate Advocate Programme

Are you aged between 18 and 30 years old? No problem if you are not!

About Me:

I have a background in marketing strategy and management sciences however I made a big change in 2004 when I did a Master's in Environment and Development in South Africa. There I focused on how to reduce the impact of higher-income lifestyles. I managed to secure funding and am now studying a PhD in the same subject at Exeter University.

I am also CAFOD's sustainability co-ordintor for the South West (voluntary) as well as doing variously other activities to try and help shift the way the world works.

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At 12:45pm on October 30, 2008, Victoria Hurth said…: I thought it might be useful if I give a bit more information about my research.

It is recognised that there is a strong correlation between wealth and energy use, but this is often only commented on at the national level or in terms of North and South of the globe. The data indicating the very strong correlations at the individual and household level is also extremely robust, very little has been reasearched about why there is such a strong correlation and how it might be altered. Given the very limited time and resources we have to tackle our sustainability crises I believe we need urgent research in this area to give poicy makers and NGOs a way forward in how to strategcially target this group. This is where my research comes in. I am taking a sample in Devon and using a psycho-socio-cultural need based approach to understanding why certain energy heavy consumption choices are made above energy frugal ones.

I have written a couple of papers on the subject. One which talks about why high income groups should be targeted and one which looks at how we might start to create more sustainable affluent identities. I am happy to send these or chat about this - or more broadly about the complex world of consumption research, with anyone who is interested!