Carbon footprint labels and consumer purchasing behavior

Carbon Footprint

One of the environmental trends of the late 20th and early 21st centuries has been the realization that the idea of individual political entities -- countries or states -- have very little meaning for climate and environmental issues. Globalism has proven to us that the world is interconnected in ways we never thought possible. Unfortunately, one of those ways deals with the way greenhouse gases (GHG) move into the environment and affect the total global balance. A carbon footprint is a concept that indicates the total set of the GHG emissions caused by an individual, and organization, and event, or a group of individuals (What is a carbon footprint?, 2011). From an ecological viewpoint it is how much polluting we do as individuals or cause by originating events. We can increase or reduce our carbon footprint through recycling, alternative energy sources (solar, wind, hybrid cars, mass-transit, etc.), but insulating our dwellings, using less energy around the home, and by simply being aware that our individual impact, when multiplied by millions of others, may have serious environmental consequences (Yarrow, 2008).

From a sociological perspective, there is something called labeling theory that is concerned with the manner in which the individual's self-identity and covert/overt behavior are influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. Essentially, this means that a combination of a self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping causes certain behaviors to manifest, thus making the label true. For example, labels may be derogatory terms, racially or sexually motivated terms, or may be expectations that people have about others. In modern school cultures, for instance, we often say, "Oh, they're Asian, they must be smart." So, the Asian-American person hears that they "must be smart, must overachieve, must get good grades." They then come to believe that this is far more than what society expects of them, but instead, what they are supposed to be as a person. So, they become that person, they apply themselves a bit more, study a bit more, and soon the prophecy seen from the outside world is internalized and factual.

Of course, this idea may be pejorative as well -- homosexuality being labeled as deviant, "you fag, you queer;" mental illness as "looney, nutty, off their rocker;" and so many negative ethic terms one's head would spin: "kike, spick, nigger, cholo, slant eye, towel head, beaner, etc."