How does inflation affect climate change?

How does inflation affect climate change?
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

We all know that the decisions we make at the grocery store affect our carbon footprint. But we’ve also all been a little tight on cash at times and had to decide if we actually needed the all-natural, plant-based, biodegradable, carbon-neutral, green-to-the-max shower loofah – and opted for the boring (but fluorescent!) blue one instead for the sake of our wallets.

Now, with record-smashing global inflation and rising prices, many people are going with the cheaper options, and they’re not necessarily thinking about the climate impact.

In a survey across 24 countries, including the US, the UK and France, the number of people who said they try to cut down their waste when it comes to shopping dropped to 18%, down from 22% this time last year. The number of shoppers who said they don’t think about the climate and aren’t worried about it went up to 44% over the past year. And the middle-of-the-road group concerned about the climate but not doing anything about it has dropped slightly, down 3% from last year.

Analysts say this research shows that while budgets are tight, people are less concerned about a product’s climate impact and more concerned about its price. And especially for respondents in Europe, concerns about climate change took the backburner as worries about the war in Ukraine grew.

Still, some business leaders argue that purpose-driven brands, like the ones that are focused on making sustainable products for the sake of a lower climate impact, actually grow faster initially.

So, if you choose the plastic loofah lately instead of that ultra-green one, you aren’t alone.