Basic Income and Sustainable Consumption Strategies

Abstract

Probably the most demanding challenge for securing sustainable development consists of changing the unsustainable consumption patterns in rich Western societies, which are the main cause of the ongoing environmental crisis. Would a basic income help achieve this objective? I argue that a transition to sustainable consumption requires three different but complementary strategies: eco-efficiency, sufficiency and decommodification. While the impact of basic income on eco-efficiency is uncertain, it could and should play a central role in a framework of sustainability in which the latter two strategies are emphasised.