The Role of Sustainable Consumption and Disaster Law in Climate Risk Management

Abstract

Because of several factors (including climate change, technological development, decisions regarding land use, modern economic conditions, population growth, and demographic trends), climate-related disasters have significantly increased in recent decades. Climate change can be considered a common global problem. This is because, among other reasons, the benefits obtained by an individual from an action that generates greenhouse gas emissions impose a cost on others---the environment, future generations, and individuals from other countries (particularly the least developed countries). Advances in climate science have provided a clearer understanding of the phenomenon and its response to human and natural influences. However, it is known that the effects of climate change on the environment and society will depend on not only the response of the Earth system but also humanity's behaviour in the face of change. In this context, this article asserts that there is a relationship between unsustainable consumption, climate change, and disasters, and then analyses this relationship. From this perspective, it proposes a reflection on the role of unsustainable consumption, in what will be called a negative feedback process, with the potential for vulnerability to disasters linked to extreme climatic events.