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"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirementsof life,when all
that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about"
(Charles Kingsley)
ANTICONSUMERISM......
Anticonsumerism challenges many of the assumptions about what is needed in contemporary society.Taking the
view that that the rich nations of the world are fundamentally damaging the planet and themselves in the pursuit of material
acquisition raises the question; "How much is enough?" rather than just buying green or ethically produced goods,different
ways of living,trading and working are advocated in order to '"live more lightly" on the earth and be less dependent on buying
'things' in order to feel good about our selves.
Contact the 'Anti-Consumerism Campaign' for further details
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Supporters of the consumerist culture offer economic growth as a solution to world poverty.They propose that impoverished
nations and individuals can eventually attain a standard of living similar to our own through the 'trickle down' of wealth
creation.Whether you believe that this 'leakage' of wealth will take place or not,the argument is still fundamentally flawed
because it ignores some very simple facts....
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It is the wealthy of the world who are responsible
for polluting it. |
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manufacturing the quantities of goods that the consumerist lifestyle demands,transporting
these goods,dispensing of their packaging and eventually the goods themselves,creates high levels of environmentally destructive
substances.
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The United States has 6% of the world's population,uses 30% of the world's
energy supply.
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20% of the world's population(the wealthy consumer
class) is responsible for over 50% of it's 'greenhouse effect' atmospheric pollutants;90% of it's ozone depleting CFC gases,96%
of it's radioactive waste...and so on and so on.. |
What causes global hunger is not a shortage of resources,but the unequal distribution of those resources in favour of the
rich. No solution to world poverty can ignore this basic fact: putting an end to it will inevitably involve a fairer distribution
of the world's food,resources and wealth.This is not compatible with the consumerist creed of ever increasing consumption.
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