Consumption

The choices we make every day effect how the world is the way it is, and why things are the way they are. The consumption animations seek to question the underlying relationships between ‘us’ as consumers, ‘them’ as producers and the impact that these choices have on the planet. Use this section to explore consumption practices, stay informed and get active on the issues.

The following references were used in the production of the animations:

Global Food Losses & Food Waste (2011)

Report commissioned by FAO from the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK).

Water Footprint Network website | discover how much water is used to produce foods and calculate your own water footprint

Food waste facts | Food waste images | 2009-2013 | Tristram Stuart’s food waste campaign website

See this UN website for updates and statistics on world population trends where you can access the latest UN figures with analysis etc.

For a solid and challenging read on some of the key issues, see Peter Singer (2004; new edition) One World: The Ethics of Globalization, Yale University Press.

On the arguments surrounding the 32:1 equation, see Jared Diamond What’s Your Consumption Factor? New York Times, January 2nd, 2008

Global Food: Waste Not Want Not (2013) by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (UK) and Guardian news report on the implications of the IME report

For a recent public discussion involving a wide range of civil society groups on what Ireland’s role in the world should be after the Millennium Development Goals finish their term in 2015 see this short report from the Setting Goals for a Better Ireland in a Just World event in Dublin (April 2013). Take a look at what participants said about ‘consumption’ and the five priority goals for action in Ireland. The event was organised by the Claiming Our Future movement, Dóchas and The Wheel.