Consumption – Boon or Bane for Sustainable Development Challenges
Introduction
Exploitation of resources has been a major part of human sustenance. Consumption is necessary to sustain life on earth. Air, water, food, shelter and other resources are needed by people in order to survive. Nature provides enough resources for every person. However, the problem arises when people start consuming these resources in excess. As can be seen in Figure 1, the consumption of energy has gone up from around 100 Exajoules in the year 1960 to more than 500 Exajoules in the year 2000. This is an example of the fact that the demand for resources is rising at a fast pace. Excessive consumption takes place when humans start consuming the quantities of goods and services that are beyond the boundaries of needs. Excessive consumption is considered fair enough and natural by people due to the consumption culture surrounding them. At times, commodities and services are purchased to showcase power and wealth. Also, consumers get attracted by advertisements and feel that it is right to consume all that they want to. All these factors shape the present consumer culture. In order to understand consumption by humans, it needs to be viewed from different angles. The aim of this essay is to explain whether consumption is a problem or a solution to sustainable
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An example of this is the introduction of the term ‘sustainable consumption’ at the Rio Earth Summit. There are other initiatives taken to promote sustainable consumption like the initiative taken by the Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production. It is also clear that the consumer cannot solve the problem of over consumption alone. Many other bodies like producers and the state need to make efforts to promote sustainable consumption. A good change is only possible when there is communication and understanding among these
Sustainability is one of the most controversial topics throughout the history, and as our society develop, we realize that being able to be sustainable is essential to survival of our race. The book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability is a collection of articles on different side of various issues related to sustainability. In the book, Issue 8 discusses the ability of technology to deliver sustainability, and issue 16 and 17 discusses the sustainability of food and energy. While issue 16 and 17 are well-presented, the arguments in issue 8 are not very strong.
America’s current standard of living is going to cause our demise. Consumerism is a problem throughout Americans culture since mass production began in the late nineteenth century. The obsession with consumerism has led to mindless wastes of resources, a diseased society and economic instability. Rick Wolff, a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts, states “economics of capitalism spread consumerism—now uncontrolled, ecologically harmful, and fiscally disastrous—throughout the United States”. Wolff’s viewpoint on consumerism aligns with mine. Believing that an economy based on promoting endless consumption is volatile and unsustainable. Consumerism can be analyzed and seen to be embedded by corporations and politicians.
With the rapid growth of our global population pouring into the next millennium, we will witness an ever-growing hunger rate around the world. That is unless we call for a revolution on the global scale. The Green Revolution which already sprouted in the early part of the century only need to add a bit more momentum and we will see a bright future for the human race, a future without hunger and starvation ¡V hopefully.It is becoming increasingly difficult for the planet to support its overwhelming population. And since the amount of arable land available is becoming scarce, we must seek ways to dramatically improve crop yields of existing cropland.
Americans are known for overconsumption. The stereotypical American is thought to be rather large, values money and possessions more than anything, and is frequently seen yelling about ‘Murica and freedom at the top of their lungs. We are thought to be the epitome of excessive consumption whether it is food or finances. However we aren’t the only ones that can be known for our over the top habits. According to the World Watch Institute, 12 percent of the world’s population lives in North America or in Western Europe but they account for 60 percent of private consumption spending (World Watch Institute). This is not just a simple, easy to fix problem, it’s an international crisis that effects our future. The overconsumption of the more affluent
In today’s market, there is I a drive for people to be a more conscientious consumer, this means that they think about their personal health and the effect of global health before they buy. (Solomon.2017) Due to the fact, that people are thinking more about the environment and effects products have on the world, marketers have found themselves taking a different approach to reach their target audience. A new way of marketing is called Green Marketing, this type of marketing involves the development and implementation of environmentally friendly products. (Solomon.2017) This method is especially stressed to the customer that is buying the product. For example, in the KIA Niro, Melisa McCarthy is showing traveling around the world to do her best to save
Many people become victims of consumerism, often aspiring to unrealistic heights or being unable to sustain the financial implications of passive consumerism. The difference between essential consumerism and euphoric consumerism is a very fine line that can be easily crossed over if control is not maintained.
consumption and even further.” Our current global food system is not sustainable. It does not
Humans have been destroying the planet since we were able to stand on two legs. As a society, we need to work to reverse these terrible effects that our existence has on the planet. Sustainability is one way to begin reversing these effects, while still living our daily lives. In 2006, Al Gore presented his documentary, “ An Inconvenient Truth”, as a way to show the world the evidence behind global warming, climate change and the destruction of our planet. This documentary shocked the world. It was clear that changes needed to be made, but the destruction was more intense than previously thought. SInce this revelation in 2006, companies have tried to cut down on their greenhouse emissions, as well as offered sustainable products to their customers. Through a debate of morals and
Sustainability could be defined in many ways. It could be defined as the process to sustain a process or develop new technologies to reduce environment pollution. It also means a measurement how badly the environment is being polluted by other factors. I have to admit that sustainability is a great idea related to many fields such as healthy, economy, food, social, and etc. However, I still remember the first day of “Sustainable Business” class, Professor Laverty showed to my class an example of sustainable product with the idea of “produce more with less waste”. This example narrows me down to one idea of “Sustainable Business”, which is producing the product and services in an efficient and sustainable way without causing harms to environment. In this essay, I want to emphasize into impacts of businesses on environments, profitability of sustainable business, and responsibility of business.
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment, so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)” Our lifestyles and eating habits have had an adverse effect on the environment. The troubles societies face today are brought on by our own personal choices in the way we live.
The single most important environmental issue today is over-consumerism, which leads to excess waste. We buy too much. We think we always need new and better stuff. Will we ever be satisfied? There will always be something better or cooler on the market. Because we live in a capitalistic consumer culture, we have absorbed things like: “Get it while the getting’s good,” “Offer ends soon, buy while it lasts,” “For great deals, come on down…Sunday Sunday Sunday!” We, kids from 1 to 92, have become saturated with commercials like: Obey your thirst. How much of our consumption is compulsive buying, merely obeying our momentary thirst? Do we actually need all that we buy? Could we survive efficiently, even happily, without making so many shopping center runs? Once after I made a Target run with mom, I noticed that most of the bulkiness within my plastic bags with red targets symbols on them was made up of the products’ packaging. I then thought about all the bags that were piled on the floor near us…all of the bags piled on the floors of many homes throughout America daily.
Though several people see large rapidly growing populations in developing regions as the primary culprit in environmental decline, we need to focus on the costly environmental outcomes of overconsumption among the gradually increasing populations of the developed nations. These differing emphases naturally point to fundamentally different solutions: slow population increase in less-developed nations or change destructive consumption and production patterns in the more-developed nations. This debate, however, assumes a one-step answer to the complex problems created by population pressures on the environment. Both population size and consumption ...
Humans have become a threat to our own way of life by consuming more resources than needed, blind to the consequences that we may face in the future. As of 2016 the world population is at 7.4 billion and it is estimated to be at 11.2 billion by the year 2100. However 10 billion is the maximum population that can be sustained in terms of food security, only one of the many factors to global sustainability. Due to the fact that human consumption exceeds the amount of resources available, the United Nations “recognizes that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge” in A/RES/70/1. Sustainable development is not only required to fulfill the necessities of the present but to guarantee the capability for future generations to satisfy theirs.
Sustainability Revolution: Earth, the planet we call home, is a complex system made of interdependent parts and pieces of life that are constantly changing. Earth’s planetary system has maintained a balance of dynamic equilibrium—it has been sustainable— since its beginnings about 4.5 billion years ago. This balance, however, has been progressively disrupted by us—humans— especially during the last few decades. Mother Nature has provided us with natural resources and the habitat for all species to sustain life on our planet. Since the industrial revolution, we have maintained a belief that these resources are infinite, and that economic growth and our attempts to improve our standards of living can continue forever. All forms of human economic
Sustainability simply defined to me as balancing act between the development of sustainability is necessary for both planet Earth and humans to survive. This is reinforced in the World Commission on Environment and Development report (1987) that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations”. The Earth Charter Organization widened the idea of sustainability to respect for a culture of peace, universal human rights, nature, and economic justice (What is sustainability?, n.d.).