How to engage people in desirable green transitions?

Western societies live in an era of consumerism and materialistic overabundance. Yet, the world is facing a climate crisis and, in order to achieve a more sustainable future, consumer behaviour needs to change. Some scientists argue that mobilising citizens for the green transition requires finding “alternative pleasures” within the boundaries of sustainability. 

“When we talk of sustainability, people often say that we will need to cut back and that it won’t be fun. I argue that it could lead to a much more pleasurable existence,” says Kate Soper, professor emerita of philosophy at London Metropolitan University. Soper is particularly known for her work in environmental philosophy and the concept of "alternative hedonism", which calls for a life based on less consumption, more care, and the fulfilment of human needs in sustainable ways. 

Replacing consumerism with other pleasures 

According to Soper, decreasing consumption doesn’t have to make people’s lives less pleasurable. “There are downsides to the so-called good life, such as stress, time-scarcity pollution and noise,” she says, pointing out the negative aspects of a growth-orientated economy. “Instead of focusing on what we might lose, we should think about what we are not enjoying about the consumerist lifestyle.” 

Søren Tollestrup Askegaard, professor of marketing at the University of Southern Denmark, also believes that alternative hedonism is key to encouraging more sustainable choices among consumers. 

“I always compare consumer culture to a huge party,” he says. “Not everyone has been invited to this party. In fact, a large portion of people on the planet have not been invited. But those of us who were invited, are enjoying it, mainly because the party allows us to enact the versions of ‘fantasies feelings and fun’, we have been brought up with. Yet, we know that a giant hangover is looming over us. Not only that, but everyone will also need to deal with the mess and help clean up. Leaving the party is therefore neither obvious nor immediately desirable.”  

Which is why the idea of alternative hedonism and finding joy elsewhere is very important, he stresses. “Replacing a good thing with something bad is not politically feasible and it will not be accepted. We need to find a way to mobilise a positive narrative. We need to give people something nice in exchange for the consumerist party.” 

One “precious commodity” people could gain is time, suggests Askegaard. “Instead of accumulating time, we accumulate resources and focus on growth. We need to rethink this model. I believe we should convert our surplus to other types of pleasures, such as more free time.” 

Soper is also in favour of promoting a slower-paced and less work-driven life. “I envision a community-centred economy, where people share resources rather than shop all the time,” she says. “People would have time to grow their own food, which means we’d be less reliant on junk food and probably be healthier. We could provide innovative forms of transport, which would free up space that is currently taken up by cars and car infrastructure and allow us to spend more time outside.”

Politics needs to articulate an alternative prosperity 

The first step towards such a far-reaching transformation should begin with the right policies, adds Soper. 

“Politicians should be prepared to challenge the focus on economic growth and help the public feel confident about the pleasures and the practicality of sustainable ways of living,” urges Soper. “We need alternative politics of prosperity. We know that we can’t keep growing the economy at this rate indefinitely. The resources will run out. Not to mention the fact that the current consumerism is not creating the good life for the vast majority of people and leads to inequalities. Politics need to be able to articulate this.”  

The first thing policymakers should do is to simply talk about this, says Soper. “It’d be a major step forward to acknowledge the need for a cultural transformation and to encourage  less market-driven forms of behaviour. We need to challenge the idea that there can’t be prosperity without economic growth.” 

Askegaard agrees that policy needs to create the conditions for exploring alternative hedonism and the green transition. “It’s not viable to rely on and wait for individual consumers to change their behaviour,” he says. 

Developing new societal values and goals

In the end, the environmental crisis and global inequalities are all tied to economic models and distribution of resources, stresses Askegaard. This issue cannot be solved through technological fixes alone but requires a cultural and societal shift. “Because capitalism and consumer culture is built on extraction of materials, burning of fossil fuels and a linear model of use and dispose – such as fast fashion-, we tend to consider this a technological problem. However, we know from social sciences, arts and humanities (SSAH) that all technologies and solutions are embedded in societal values and goals.” 

SSAH should be a crucial part of the “cultural revolution”, adds Soper. “We need imagination to rethink our way of life, and we need SSAH to find practical ways to incorporate alternative values in social institutions and architecture.” 

The role of SSAH in addressing world’s grand challenges will be the topic of the upcoming Human Values and Grand Challenges conference, hosted by Aalborg University on December 1-2, 2025 in Copenhagen as part of Denmark's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

The public conference will also cover the topic of future markets and consumer practices under the agenda of sustainability with the goal of bringing forward specific recommendations on how to achieve a more human-centric research and innovation in Europe.