Effect of lifestyle changes and consumption patterns on environmental impact: a comparison study of Pakistan and China

ABSTRACT

Increased economic development and industrialization put strain on environment, hence causing pollution and destroying ecosystem. Generally, many different factors affect the environment. These factors include GHG emissions, deforestation, and others. These are all related to human activities on Earth. Other factors that affect environment include population, consumption patterns, and changing life styles of people due to increased income. This study involves the comparison analysis of Pakistan and China on the basis of environmental impact caused by some major driving factors. China is the second largest CO₂ emitter in the world with a population of 1.37 billion in 2016 and the second largest economy in the world. Pakistan is ranked as 40th on the basis of nominal GDP. Both the countries observed noticeable growth in economic development for over 55 years, i.e. 1960–2016. This study identifies how population, affluence, consumption, and emissions as the major factors affect environmental pollution and use ImPACT equation, or I = PACT, to calculate the environmental impact and to determine which factors affect the environment the most. The study suggests that the people of both China and Pakistan have experienced increased income for the past 50 years and this increase has led to the changes in their lifestyles, from suitable clothing and quality food to comfortable living and increased energy consumption, thus affecting environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Economic development
• China
• Pakistan
• I = PACT equation
• affluence
• environmental impact

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ImPACT equation is: Impact = population * affluence * consumption * emissions.

2. http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat10/sub66/item391.html.

3. State Statistical Bureau of China. China Statistical Yearbook 1985–2010; State Statistical Publishing House: Beijing, China, 1985–2010.

4. https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/archive/Pakistan.htm.

5. I = PABT describes environmental impact (I) as a function of population size (P), affluence (A), behavioral choices (B) and technology (T).