I am in Abu Dhabi for the World Economic Forum’s annual Summit on the Global Agenda. This is my second year as a member of the Global Agenda Council that’s looking at consumer goods (think: things that come in boxes that you buy in person) and how to create a culture of consuming those goods in a way that doesn’t destroy the planet and society along the way.

It’s not a bunch of hippies. Indeed, as far from that as is possible. Big companies, big thinkers, big themes. And the irony of doing this here, where a liter of water takes four liters of diesel to produce, isn’t lost on anyone (if it were, having the middle in the middle of a formula one race track would pound it in).

Anyway. I had two ideas today. One is that if we can trade emissions at a corporate level, we should be able to trade consumption. So if we can track consumption of goods, and the sustainability of those goods, we have the rudiments of a market for consumption. So why not offer (wealthy, western, northern) people the chance to pay extra for an offset for their iPad like they do with their plane ticket?

My other idea was based on the ever present loyalty cards for grocery stores, pharmacies, and even cupcake shops in the US. You give away your personal data in return for lower prices (although I often use the algorithm of [local area code of store] + 867-5309). Why not something similar for sustainable goods? Either you pay the full price, or you pony up your data to save the world. Also you get a sticker to put on your computer to show how much better you are than other people - and that’s big, because being proud of being a sustainable consumer is currently, and unfortunately, densely tied to being one.

Doubt either of these works in the real world. Don’t know enough economics to judge by dead reckoning. But it’s fun to poke a stick in the hive and see what comes buzzing out.