MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF CONSUMER COUNCIL OF FIJI MS SEEMA SHANDIL

Bula Vinaka!

March 15 is perhaps one of the most important dates in the Consumer Council of Fiji’s calendar; a day which celebrates and champions the rights of consumers in Fiji and globally – the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD). Celebrating the day is a chance to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.

The Council has been spearheading the national WCRD celebrations for 4 decades; as the voice of consumers and the custodians of consumer rights in Fiji. Over these years, the Council has advocated for the rights and interests of consumers, lobbied for policy changes and launched awareness campaigns on critical consumer issues.

This year, the theme for WCRD is ‘Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transitions’. To preserve a livable climate, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. Bold, fast, and wide-ranging action needs to be taken by governments and businesses. The transition to a low-carbon world also requires the participation of consumers. For this reason, the Council is not only raising awareness on clean energy, but is also initiating productive discussions with policy makers and industry players to promote clean energy.

The opportunity for consumers to accelerate clean energy transitions is currently being missed. Consumers need to be supported and empowered to overcome consistent technological, infrastructural, financial, regulatory and knowledge related barriers, which stand in the way of transformative action. These are essential to delivering change at the pace and scale required to avoid catastrophic climate change. What is the role of consumers – the largest group of economic stakeholders – in these changes? How can they be protected and empowered in clean energy transitions?

Consumers are the actors for change. People are not passive bystanders to be included in clean energy transitions. We all wield power as marketplace actors. We are all consumers of energy services, and as such, we have the potential to take action that accelerates clean energy transitions.

Research has shown that demand-side changes could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70% by 2050. In practice, this means consumers everywhere are making changes to how they travel, cook andheat, cool and power their homes. People can trigger transformative changes by adopting low-carbon alternatives – like carpooling or using public transport instead of a private vehicle – and improving other existing such as heavy reliance of fossil fuel.

The opportunities for people and planet are clear. Whilst the Council will continue to work with industry stakeholders to address issues relating to availability, affordability and accessibility to clean energy and corresponding products; the Council is calling on consumers to begin this transition at household level. Remember, even the simplest of actions can go a long way in clean energy transition.

Consumers could be the missing catalyst for change.