EARTH SUFFERS AS CONSUMERISM SPREADS

Consumerism is hurting our planet! Learn how and what you can do.

A new study shows that the stuff we consume - from food to knick-knacks - is responsible for up to 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Read the text and give your opinion on it. Americans and Western Europeans have had a lock on unsustainable over- consumption for decades. But now developing countries are catching up rapidly, to the detriment of the environment, health, and happiness, according to the Worldwatch Institute's report.Approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide now belong to the "consumer class"—the group of people characterized by diets of highly processed food, desire for bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the accumulation of non-essential goods. Read the text and answer the questions.1 Does buying new clothes make you happy? Why?2 Does your new stuff tend to lose its in-store magic by the time it's reached your wardrobe? Why?3 Do you buy far more than you need and use? Explain!4 Do you agree that online shopping fuels overconsumption? How? Do your clothes make you happy? Or, after the excitement of the shopping spree fades, does your new stuff tend to lose its in-store magic by the time it's reached your wardrobe?A new survey of international buying habits has found that we buy far more than we need and use. The mindless overconsumption of fashion has become our cultural norm.Online shopping fuels this overconsumption. It's easier than ever to buy new clothes by clicking through social media feeds whenever you see something you like.The reasons for this are emotional and social. For many, comfort buys occur when people need to channel their anxieties. Shopping is a way to kill time, relieve stress and avoid boredom. But the cheap thrill of buying something new dies away pretty fast. Half of the people surveyed said that the immediate excitement of a shopping spree lasted less than a day. After the binge comes the hangover.When they're not shopping, around a third people surveyed admit feeling empty, bored or lost. What's more, around half feel guilty about their shopping habits, sometimes hiding their purchases from others for fear of negative reactions or accusations of wasting money. Shopping does not make us happy. We already own too much and we know it. Read the text and give some examples from your life. As well as obvious social and economic problems,consumerism is destroying our environment.As the demand for goods increases, the need to produce these goods also increases. This leads to more pollutant emissions, increased land-use and deforestation, and accelerated climate change.We are experiencing devastating effects on the planets water supplies, as more and more water stores are used up or diverted as a part ofintensive farming procedures.Waste disposal is becoming a problem worldwide, and our oceans are slowly but surely becoming a giant waste disposal pit. It is estimated that over half of the plastic produced every year is single use – this means that it is used once, and then either thrown into landfill or finds its way into the environment.According to scientists, up to 12 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year, forming giant floating garbage patches all over the world. Human Population and Resource Consumption Watch the video Human Population and Resource Consumption and answer the questions. It took 200,000 years for human population to reach 1 billion. It then took 200 years to reach 7 billion. What caused this dramatic increase in population? What impact has our population growth had on our environment? What are renewable resources? Give an example! How can renewable resources be depleted? Give an example! What are nonrenewable resources? Give an example! The Problem with Consumerism Watch the video The Problem with Consumerism and answer the question. Why is Christmas considered a capitalist holiday in America? Because of stores, trees and lights Avarage yearly emissions footprint raises by roughly 650kg of CO2 Americans spend $2.6 billion on wrapping paper Black Friday and department stores like Macy's started to encourage shoppers to fill their carts and as a result shoppers can express their care and love shoppers can increase their personal well-being shoppers atre driven by a mix of social pressure, stress and propaganda Advertisements bombard us with visions of what we could be. However, studies have shown that you are happy when you buy new phones, clothes and gadgets extra consumption does not increase your well-being we need to buy stuff in order to find happiness or comfort Consumption levels are not equal across the world. As a consequence, the average American uses over 100 times the energy as someone from India if everyone in the world were to live in the same way as an average German now, global emissions would double poor countries are the ones feeling the brunt of climate disasters We are led to believe that we can stop climate change if each individual lives a low carbon lifestlye by growing the economy, which means buying more, whether by supporting new green tech or wearing sustainably-made clothing with the growth of new sustainable innovations One percent growth in GDP leads to a 0,5 to 0,8% increase in carbon emissions. The result will be that the global economy will grow double by 2048 we will manage to transition to a zero-carbon world rich countries will descrease their consumption What options do we have? The world could support three times the current global population by 2050. Which options could NOT make it possible? Global consumption levels have to drop 60% Consumption levels have to drop 95% in countries with today's highest per-capita consumers The world requires a massive rollout of advanced technologies across all sectors The future lifestyle has to be similar to the one in the 1960s Switzerland Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. Watch the video Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. What can you do to help reach zero-carbon world? After all the information that you got, it is time to be creative! Create a poster EARTH SUFFERS AS CONSUMERISM SPREADS to promote environmental awareness!