Artwork courtesy of Allan Barbeau

Imagine oceans overflowing with garbage, skies filled with thick pollutants, and soil filled with toxic chemicals. Animals are disappearing, and humans are dying due to extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires. Overconsumption is to blame for this catastrophic situation.

Overconsumption is a major threat to the environment, but many people don’t recognize it.

How is overconsumption harming the environment?

Overconsumption, especially by large fossil fuel companies and the mega-wealthy, depletes natural resources. For example, rich people like those who fly in private jets, are responsible for half of the carbon emissions from planes.

Fast fashion is another serious issue. Trendy clothes use toxic and cheap textile dyes to cut production costs. However, once trends change, “old” clothes end up in landfills, where 92 million tons of clothes end up every year. These landfills can take over 200 years to decompose. Even if the clothes decompose, the toxic chemicals remain in the soil and groundwater, polluting the water and land.

However, our earth can’t handle overconsumption anymore. According to research from Sentient Climate, people are consuming resources at 1.7 times the speed the earth is producing.

How is overconsumption harming us?

Overconsumption not only harms the environment, but also us.

The world population has increased, and overconsumption has become a habit for many people.

If we don’t make any changes, rich people in wealthy nations will get to live decadent lives while poorer nations will suffer from the consequences of overconsumption. Inequality between rich and poor will only get worse due to environmental damage. This is already happening in some places.

According to UNICEF, “In some cases we are seeing countries providing relatively healthy environments for children at home while being among the top contributors to pollutants that are destroying children’s environments abroad.” People living in polluted areas are more likely to suffer from asthma, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Sadly, many people living in polluted areas can’t afford healthcare and some have lost their lives due to pollution and harsh weather conditions. In fact, poor air quality causes seven million deaths every year, and extreme heat takes about 489,000 lives globally every year, most of them people living in poverty.

Global warming and pollution also destroy agriculture, as it’s impossible to grow crops in areas with extreme weather, water shortages, and polluted land. This means that more people will die from hunger, despite 2.5 billion tons of food being wasted every year.

Climate change, global warming, and pollution are consequences of overconsumption. These environmental issues are depriving poorer nations access to clean air, water, and food.

What can we do?

Overconsumption is out of control. As environmentalist Brad Meiklejohn mentioned, overconsumption is tied to wealth. Wealthy people buy too many cars, properties, planes, and yachts. For them, overconsumption is a symbol of social status and their way to indulge in a luxurious lifestyle. These lavish lifestyles destroy the environment, while millions of people struggle in poverty.

Nevertheless, overconsumption isn’t caused by teenagers. Those to blame are oil companies that deplete and burn fossil fuels. They overuse natural resources to maximize profit, causing all kinds of environmental problems. Yet, these wealthy oil companies brainwash us into believing that we are to blame for environmental problems, when they are the ones responsible.

However, there are things we can do. Although simply consuming less can make a difference, we can elect leaders who truly prioritize our environment over short-term economic benefits.

Moreover, we can advocate for regulations that limit oil companies from consuming excess fossil fuels, and implement carbon taxes on large companies to hold them accountable for the pollution they generate. By doing so, oil prices would rise, and people would turn to cleaner and more affordable energy sources.

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The earth is depleted, and overconsumption is the main cause of pollution, climate change, hunger, and numerous illnesses. We need people who are willing to take responsibility and drive change in our culture of overconsumption. By making large companies responsible for their pollution, we can reduce environmental impacts. Moreover, we can protect our planet and ensure a healthier future for everyone before it’s too late.