Combine Global and Human Health Warnings in Marketing by One Nature
Pitch
If people understand the negative impacts that climate change has on their health, they'll probably care about sustainable development more.
Description
Summary
The graphic images on tobacco packaging, which warn that smoking leads to lung cancer, remind consumers that their everyday choices have severe consequences on their own health.
Climate change also has negative impacts on human health. If the public is made aware of the harsh realities of air pollution toxicity, temperature-related illness, vector-borne diseases, natural disasters, food contamination from pesticides, etc. upon their health, they might think twice about their consumer habits and try and live more sustainable lifestyles.
This campaign relies upon the psychology of human self-preservation, which is much more common than eco-consciousness, unfortunately.
Is this proposal for a practice or a project?
Practice
What actions do you propose?
A marketing strategy could involve the products and services that significantly contribute to environmental problems being sold with mandatory warnings. For example, diesel fuel, food grown using harmful pesticides, unsustainable household energy providers, electric heaters, airline services... the list goes on.
To prevent businesses from completely losing out, the law or policy that implements this marketing strategy could stipulate that if businesses adopt certain green and sustainable practices, they can have reduced warning requirements on their product/services.
Who will take these actions?
Governments and international regulatory bodies can introduce laws, and policies for nations to adopt in their economies.
Businesses will consequently adopt sustainble practices to meet requirements from the new strategy.
Individuals will be educated about global and human health issues and make conscious choices to lead sustainable lifestyles to prevent climate change.
Where will these actions be taken?
The United Nations with the support of the World Health Organisation, and other relevant bodies will need to agree upon international standards for national laws and policies.
The marketing strategy will be applied to individual and corporate businesses across all sectors in first-world countries, but include all of their global production locations (factories, offices, sourcing sites, etc).
In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.
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Impact/Benefits
What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?
The laws and policies will require and encourage businesses to adopt sustainable practices to prevent the warning marketing from reducing their profits.
Individual consumers will be exposed to the harsh realities of climate change upon their health and become aware of the fact that their everyday lifestyle choices as in the household, and as consumers, can contribute to the climate change and its consequences upon their health. As a result, they will uses products and services that have reduced environmental impact, and be more conscious in their own actions (such as being more energy efficient at home).
What are other key benefits?
Overall, this campaign will encourage discussion on climate change and make it a more 'relevant' part of society. It will thus gradually promote genuine passion for the environment and allow sustainable development to progress.
This strategy also benefits human and animal health by seeking sustainable solutions to mutiple climate change problems, including air pollution. With fewer human related health problems, public health services, etc. will do better financially. Thus there is long-term economic benefit for nations.
Costs/Challenges
What are the proposal’s projected costs?
The challenges will be in convincing governments and organisations to implement strict marketing regulations without affecting their respective economies (for instance, the United States would not want to suddenly lose profits from the coal industry). However, if there is a large stress placed upon co-operation with businesses and improving their sustainability in the first place, this would reduce the finanicial losses.
If successful, consumers would continue to purchase good and services but in more eco-friendly ways, (such as buying toxin-free kitchen cleaning products as opposed to ones with harmful chemicals) and such changes would not cost nation economies in the long-term as their is profit in environmentally conscious consumerism.
Timeline
Implementing the laws and policies in the first place would take a couple of years. However, once applied across all products and services, it would have immediate effect upon consumers. Hence, there would be sudden change in individual action in regards to sustainable lifestyles.
The environment education and shift in attitude aspects would be more long-term goals, once these changes are already habitual for the public and the thought of being eco-concsious seems more relatable and accessible.
About the author(s)
Environmental ambassador and freelance writer.
By:
One Nature
