prepared by Zesp Szk i Przedszkola w Kaletach Miotku, Poland
Consumerism is an attitude which consists of unjustified
needs of consumption of material goods and services. It means satisfying the desires. Consumerism is characterized by greed in buying things and using services that are not necessary for a man. What is needed, is a reflection on the lifestyle based primarily on the consumption of goods.
Consumption itself is not a bad thing, every person living
today is a consumer of various goods and services. The problem occurs when the consumption is the main goal in ones life and improvement of living conditions is the only area of human activity. Through the prism of material values one evaluates the behaviors of others and even their personality. It is closely connected with collecting more than one actually needs, desiring the latest products, even though the ones a person owns are equally good so far.
Consumerism can become a form of addiction
for a human being and therefore a form of slavery.
Considering the effects of excessive consumption one
cannot forget the fact that the human species is an integral part of nature however is able to modify the entire surface of the planet, its biosphere, atmosphere and climate in a very deep and global way. Careless human activity causes a chain reaction, threatening the environment. Large areas of cultivated land change into the barren, often saline deserts. Forests, the green lungs of the Earth are endangered. Various species of flora and fauna are in the danger of extinction every day. The pollution of air, water or soil destroys the surrounding nature.
The contemporary pattern of life was formed at the
turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth century when the industrial revolution was born. In 1784 the first spinning plant, where machines have replaced humans was founded in England. From that moment the rapid development of industry and the rapidly growing demand for energy started. In 1854 the world's first oil mine was opened in Poland in Bbrka near Krosno. Oil is the most efficient source of energy, since the technology has allowed the use of this extraordinary liquid, industrial development followed rapidly. Every part of our lives today is linked closely to the need to provide energy, and this comes mainly from oil, coal
The fact that mankind relished with new lifestyle,
resulted in the use of energy resources, and consequently economic growth that had no end. Natural resources had been formed over millions of years and just over the life of just one generation more than amount of half of oil and gas resources were diminished. Currently, using up these raw materials is getting more expensive and more difficult and causes new threats to the environment. A disaster of BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is just one example.
The second major threat are by-products from
combustion of energy sources - including many toxic compounds and carbon dioxide. One of the signs of a crisis is greenhouse effect. The result of combustion of fossil fuels and wood is cumulating carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. This increases the tightness of the gas shell of our planet. Part of the heat of the sun does not return to the cosmos, but it remains on the surface of the Earth raising its temperature. This leads to the warming of the globe, melting glaciers and rising sea levels
Another side effect of unsustainable consumption
and human activity is called ozone hole. The loss in the ozone layer is caused by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) or compounds containing chlorine released into the atmosphere. Individual atoms of the element decompose ozone molecules, and as a consequence more ultraviolet radiation reaches the land.
Purchasing furniture and products made of exotic wood,
deforestation to acquire new land for cultivation, caused serious destruction of tropical forests. Reducing the surface of rainforests affects the hydrological cycle which results in the occurrence of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, hurricanes and loss of drinking water resources.
The people from poorest part of the world often suffer
from climate change. More than 4 million people lost their home during the floods caused by violent monsoon rains that hit Pakistan in July and August 2010. There are changes in the chemical composition of water that cause the disappearance of coral reefs - an important source of food and shelter for numerous marine species. If the level oceans continues to raise, many coastal cities around the world may be flooded.
As a result of over-exploitation of the environment,
caused by unrestrained and thoughtless consumption of material goods, between 15 and 25 animal species and plants extinct every day. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature- the world's largest organization monitoring the environment, the number of vertebrate animals like mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians decreased by 52% in 40 years from 1970 to 2010. In our latitudes number of animals decreased by 36% and in the equatorial zone by 56%. The largest extinction of species is recorded in South America up to 86%.
Our world is dying.
As humans, we are closely connected with the natural environment. We need air, water and food rich in nutrients to live. So that we can have it, there must be circulation of matter in the ecosystem, which requires a variety of organisms, flora and fauna. Through our greed we are destroying biodiversity.
Continuous production is means using huge amounts
of raw materials and energy. It includes generating millions of tons of waste. In Poland, less than 20% of plastic bottles is recycled, the rest ends up in a landfills. In 2006 carbon dioxide emissions caused by production of bottles was 2.5 tons, not counting the energy that consumes their transport. To produce one liter of bottled water another 3 liters of water are used in the process of production. With effective marketing campaigns since 1984 to 2005 the consumption of bottled water in the world
Powerful advertising industry convinces us that the
water from the bottle is better, healthier, more natural, ecological and so on. That's not true. Its production is environmentally unfriendly and in addition, expose us to unnecessary costs. If you are not sure whether the water that flows in the tap is safe enough to drink, pass it through the filter installed on the household tap. Therefore, we abandon the purchase of bottled water, use a water bottle from which we can be used repeatedly.
Drinking water resources are running out. Renewable
resources such as surface water subcutaneous sources are so polluted that it is not suitable for drinking. We commonly use Holocene water tanks that means deep sources of water. The resources of this water is renewed over thousands of years, so virtually, in the perspective of our life and our growing needs may lead to deplete groundwater resources.
You cannot overlook the fact that meat production
consumes large amounts of water. To produce a kilo of beef 40,000 liters of water are needed, which is used mainly for the production of fodder for cows. One third of all arable land in the world is taken by feed. Over 90% of the world's soybeans, corn and barley is grown as the fodder for animals. If these crops are grown directly on food for people hunger that affects 1.5 billion people in the world would be solved. The entire production of beef, pork and poultry is the source of 18% of all greenhouse gases emitted into
Animal husbandry is responsible for 64% of global
nitrous oxide emissions and 37% of global methane production as well as 64% of ammonia emissions which affects air, soil and water and is responsible for the formation of acid rain and damage to the ozone layer. Liquid animal waste represent the largest portion of the wastewater, which is discharged from farms. As the main reasons for the growth of greenhouse gas emissions is believed to be increased by livestock production and the trend toward larger, more commercialized ventures. The only way to halt these adverse effects is to reduce the production and consumption of meat and other
Many people live beyond their means. According to the
WWF reports for providing currently living condition people would need 3.9 planets such as the Earth.
Classical economics did not foresee the possibility of a slow resource depletion or ecological crisis.
The pursuit of cheaper ways of delivering the product
to the market turns against society in the form of environmental pollution, loss of natural ecosystems and biodiversity, human diseases and cultural decline.
It is increasingly difficult to satisfy wakened appetite
for consumption. However, since the planet's resources are limited, we must ask ourselves the question what is the cost? The result of excessive consumerism is unjustified waste of manufactured goods, human labor and natural resources, thus threatening the survival of the human species and of civilization. Secondly, it contributes to the degradation of the human spirit, introducing addiction - the more you have, the more you desire. So understood, consumerism leads to the destruction