Green Consumerism versus Structural Change: Evidence on Limits

Kato Bukenya T.

Faculty of Business and Management Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                                     ABSTRACT
Green consumerism has gained prominence as a strategy for addressing climate change by encouraging individuals to adopt environmentally responsible consumption patterns. However, growing evidence suggests that changes in consumer behaviour alone are insufficient to achieve the scale and speed of decarbonization required to meet global climate targets. This narrative review critically examines the effectiveness of green consumerism relative to structural transformation, drawing on theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence from multiple sectors and countries. The review explores the conceptual foundations of both approaches and evaluates their environmental effectiveness, equity implications, rebound effects, historical performance, and contributions to deep decarbonization. It further examines the role of structural change through sectoral transformation, governance reform, institutional capacity, policy coherence, and political economy in enabling sustainable transitions. The evidence indicates that while green consumerism can promote environmental awareness, encourage innovation, and complement sustainability initiatives, its overall impact is constrained by behavioural limitations, socioeconomic inequalities, and systemic market and governance failures. By contrast, structural transformation including coordinated policy interventions, investments in low-carbon infrastructure, institutional reforms, and comprehensive governance frameworks offers greater potential for achieving rapid, equitable, and long-term emissions reductions. The review concludes that an integrated approach combining responsible consumption with ambitious structural reforms provides the most effective pathway toward climate resilience and sustainable development. Future research should strengthen comparative evaluations of these approaches and develop standardized indicators to assess their combined contributions to deep decarbonization.

Keywords: Green consumerism, Structural change, Decarbonization, Climate governance and Sustainable development.

CITE AS: Kato Bukenya T. (2026). Green Consumerism versus Structural Change: Evidence on Limits. IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 11(2):102-110. https:/doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAM/2026/112.102110