Consumerism and the Environment Essay

Consumerism is a concept that was created before the Great Depression, which, by definition, means â€Å"the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy; the fact or practice of an increasing consumption of goods†. In other words, consumerism has meant the transformation of citizens into shoppers. In fact, after the tragedy of 9/11, we were not asked to sacrifice or work hard in order to defeat terrorism, we were asked to go shopping. (Barber, 2008) Buying more products may help the economy but it is not good for the environment. Statistics show that the act of consumerism has negatively affected the environment and made a sustainable future very difficult. With the threat of overpopulation and the increased consumption of food and natural resources, our environment may not be able to sustain future generations. In looking at the statistics of consumption in America over the years, we have doubled or tripled our consumption of food and natural resources in the last 50 years. One of the root causes of our environmental problems is hyper-consumption. We simply buy too much of what we don’t need and often even what we really don’t want. According to Globalissues. org â€Å"half of the world lives on less that $2 a day† and WorldWatch. org or World Watch Institute states â€Å"12% of the world’s population lives in North America and Western Europe and accounts for 60% of private consumption spending†. The statistics of consumption in America is disturbing. Putting the consumption of food aside, global oil production is currently about 81 million barrels a day and is predicted to fall to 39 million barrels a day by 2030 due to diminishing resources. Seager, 2007) In 50 years and as these resources doubled in consumption, carbon dioxide levels increased over 20%, which is very harmful to our environment and the ozone. The world’s population needs to realize that consumerism is affecting the environment in very bad ways and people need to start changing the way they live and buy in order to help save the environment. The effect of consumerism to the environment has been well documented over the years. From fuel consumption to polluted air, a damaged ozone and massive waste and garbage dumped, our environment has taken a lot of hits. The increase of natural fuel over the last few decades has many people wondering what the world will do if we run out. The answer is simple. We need to transform the way we use fuel into re-usable, environmentally friendly fuel. That is easier said than done, but massive change is never easy. We also have to look at what damage this consumption is doing to the air and the ozone layer. The effect of ozone layer depletion often seems as if it is a far away problem. In reality, the weakening of the Earth’s protection from radiation has implications that spread across the planet. The Environmental issues caused by ozone layer depletion will ultimately affect everyone. (Ozone Layer Depletion, 2012) According to statistics, the holes in the ozone layer are getting bigger year by year. There may not be a way to reverse the damage that has been done, but we can prevent more damage just by making simple changes. The US produces nearly 230 million tons of trash per year and less than one fourth of it is recycled and the remaining garbage is burned. If we put a proper plan in place, we could recycle 70% of this waste and dramatically decrease the demand virgin resources. There are several environmental agencies that actively seek to make a change for the better. There is no one person or group able to make decisions that are binding upon all or even most of the participants in a movement. This makes negotiation and settlement difficult, if not impossible. Getting more people involved in environmental activism does not mean they need or have to picket or protest environmentally unfriendly businesses, just to be aware and work on their own consumption. (Arquilla & Ronfeldt, 2001) With the massive increase in consumption and the negative effect on the environment, the American government and corporations are putting plans into place to protect our environment. For example, according to thewhitehouse. gov, â€Å"The Obama Administration is committed to protecting the air we breathe, water we drink, and the land that supports and sustains us†. The Recover Act Investments in our Environment is finding for programs and projects that will protect the environment. The National Ocean Policy helps preserve our oceans. The government is also working to reduce air pollution by setting ambitious new fuel economy standards for cars and trucks that will raise the miles per gallon usage and decrease carbon emissions. The government has also proposed national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from power plants. There is also the proposal for the development of clean energy, which, should slow down if not stop the usage of natural fuel and also have a positive effect on the environment. None of these proposals or policies has been put into place as of yet, but it is good to know that the government is at least working on a solution. Not only is the government working on a solution but also several of the leading corporations in America have â€Å"gone green† to help protect our environment. Companies like Bank of America, McDonald’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and many others have decided to look at the big picture and give our environment a little help. Most of these big companies were big environmentally unfriendly companies and either chose to go green or had to go green because of falling profits. They had to go green because when the public got wind of the waste the company’s business suffered quite a bit. There are several things that we, as a nation, can do to help our environment and to ensure that we have a sustainable future. First thing that we need to do is to try and reverse as much damage that has been done to our environment as possible. In order to do that, some major changes have to be made. According to science. howstuffworks. com, doing the following things could help the environment in tremendous ways: Leave your car at home at least 2 days a week; it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year. Recycle all paper and plastic. If an office building of 7,000 workers recycled all of its office paper waste for a year, it would be like taking about 400 cars off the road. Compost your waste. Composting will reduce the amount of waste that is put into landfills or burned and polluting the air. With regards to preserving sustainable resources, that problem is a little tougher to solve. Fossil fuels are a finite resource, which means it has a limit and when it is gone there is no replacing it. We have to find environmentally friendly fuels to replace fossil fuels. We also have to be careful with our food, water, and soil. Several studies have shown that even if rely on renewable resources like rainwater, we have to make sure that rate of consumption does not exceed how much can be produced. We have the knowledge to help save and sustain our environment and population. Ever since the inception of Earth Day in 1970, activists have lobbied to get governments, corporations, and regular people to see the damage that is being done to our environment. These activists are and have been working ever vigilantly to get the word out that the environment is in trouble. We are seeing it now with the holes in the ozone and the depletion of the natural resources. Our society has been built on consumption and the idea that more is better. In order to reverse this way of thinking we have to change the way we do things. It is a long and hard process but if everyone, including governments and corporations, would do their small part we will have a more sustained and healthy environment.