Consumerism is Killing the Planet! Ask Yourself Do I Really Need It?
Consumerism is killing the planet! Earth is getting older each year and like a person who is not getting any younger; it becomes vulnerable to pollution, sickness, natural disasters, and worse comes to worst, death. With billions of human population living on the planet, Earth looks like a huge dumpsite with garbage crawling in every corner. And the primary cause of this is consumerism.
Defining (Human) Consumerism
Consumerism is the act of spending on goods and services. When you buy clothes, car, foods, medicine and other needs, you are a consumer. The higher the population becomes, the higher the demand for all products needed by the consumer. As a result, more and more products and services are needed to be manufactured to address and supply the demand of these consumers.
How Consumerism Affect the Planet
The act of manufacturing human needs like shelter, medicine, food, clothes, cars, housewares and hundreds of endless things has short and long term effects to the planet. Man tends to buy things he does not need.
- For example, a man has a car from the previous five-year model. He saw his friends riding the same brand of car in current year model with upgraded features. He then feels like his car is obsolete and no longer brand new. He decided to buy another latest model to keep up with his friends, despite the fact that he does not need it. Car manufacturing corporations see this as high demand, causing them to manufacture more.
- Another example is the act of putting everything in a plastic bag. When you shop for a piece of cheese in the supermarket, it will be put in a plastic bag. On your way home, you stopped by a fruit cart and bought a piece of apple, which the vendor will put in another plastic bag. These plastics were manufactured using energy, fuel and chemicals harmful to the planet. But since consumers like you love putting stuff in them, plastic manufacturers keep on making new ones.
Do you Really Need It?
Before consuming or buying anything, ask yourself first: “Do I really need it?” The unfortunate thinking today is that man fails to distinguish what he wants from what he needs. The fast-phasing upgrades of smartphones, television, and other entertainment and communication gadgets are among the ideas that man gets from consumerism.
So What Do You Need To Do?
There are things (small and big steps) that you can do to keep Earth from dying from mankind’s consumerism. Here are some of them:
- Recycle
- Simplify living
- Reuse
- Plant trees
- Eliminate garbage
- Participate in community movement against consumerism
- Disseminate information about how consumerism kills the planet
- Organic living
Single Earth
There is only one planet where we can live so we better take care of it before it’s too late. Before buying anything, ask yourself first if you really need it or you just want to be a part of a fad. You cannot recycle a smartphone. Unused phones will be parts of a huge dump site for millions of years. Keep things simple as much as possible.
Respect nature, respect our earth, and love life.
World Events Review
Main Image Source : Pixabay
Also See : Classic Dystopian Book – Planet of The Apes
