Small Changes in Humankind Consumerism Can Affect the Future of Planet Earth
Mario A. Rodriguez
Abstract
Small Changes in Humankind Consumerism Can Affect the Future of Planet Earth
Thinking about a better future is in many cases just that, a simple thought that never transcends to the sphere of praxis. Projecting everyone’s life realistically into the future should include something more than the presents for the coming Christmas celebration. The future for humankind is a more serious matter that should include all of our ideas, thoughts about each other’s rights for a better future. Seeing how much shopping is done, and how much waste is produce brings to discussion the real role of each individual in the process of having a better future. Still the idea of global warming, green house effect, climate’s changes, and the influence that each human has in the final outcome is seeing this as a problem that governments have to resolve, and a situation that is going to happen far into the future. Global changes due to the climate changes are a consequence of everyone’s actions. Several international organizations and institutions have been developed and placed in functioning with the goal of creating solutions to the global warming issue; however, no international organization or institution will succeed in the conservation of planet earth if humans do not act first. This paper intends to prove that personal, individual, small and responsible changes in the way that each human being uses his/hers right for consuming and wasting are the answers for the solutions of the global climate change issue because of the actual methods in which our natural resources are being obtained are leading the future of our planet into a “no going back”, exploited system.
During the last 50 years, humankind has increased by 5.4 billion of people (Eberstad, 2011). It took millions of year for humans to reach the first billion of habitants. One hundred and twenty three years for the second billion; 33 years for the third billion; 14 years for the fourth billion; 13 years for the fifth billion; and ten years for the sixth billion (Bayes, 2011).
Today, planet earth is the home to 6,982.231.323 human beings, and the projections for next summer are over the seventh billion (U.S Census Bureau, 2011). These numbers are the reality, which humanity is facing and the warning for real action. What kind of future is the human race looking to obtain? Is humanity in the right of altering the lives of thousands of species that share the world with them? According to the website www.babycenter.com, the cost per year of a new human being is more than 10.000 of dollars; where an average of 1870 dollars are for food, 1228 dollars for transportation, and 682 dollars for clothing. These numbers multiplied by 74 million new lives per year, which is the growing rate of the world’s population (World Bank Group, 2011); forecast an elevated exploitation of the planet natural resources, and as consequence the increment of CO2 in the atmosphere, the growth of the green house effect, and the rise in the temperature of the climate (Lovett, 2011). As Lovett states in his article “Poisons, Temperature, and Climate Change” humanity still does not see the real problem:
… After all, we’re talking about global warming, global climate change. But we don’t live on that scale. We live in our own homes, cities, countries, states. To the extent we feel the impacts of climate change; it’s in our own backyards. … (p. 20)
While the governments of wealthy countries try to create a solution that slows down the exponential augmentation in the erosion, deforestation, contamination of the different ecosystems around the world, the same countries seem to do totally the opposite. In an initiative of the UN (United Nations) and the World Meteorological Organization the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created back in 1988 (Berline, 2003). According to Berline, in 1995, the IPCC presented its report which states: “…The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate…” (p. 430)
In 2001 the IPCC expressed the following report:
…Most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentration. Furthermore, it is very likely that the 20th century warming has contributed significantly to the observed sea level rise…(p. 430)
Since then, political and economical agreements have been made in order to reduce the amount of CO2 produce per each country. And here what really matters is that governments said one thing, but they do the complete opposite. In 2001, the Earth System Partnership, which united all major global research programs, stipulated the urgency of strategies for earth system management, which base on the results of almost 10 years of studies and ideas, have demonstrated to be insufficient and poorly designed because of the lack of understanding of the human relation with the environment (Biermann, 2010).
The impact that humankind is having in the future shape of the planet’s climate is reaching the point of catastrophe and more than that the irreversible conditions (Biermann, 2010). The new alliances and strategies are not being used properly and the consequences remain the same: increment in CO2 production, higher temperatures, elimination of regular seasons, and the disruption ecological cycles that can produce the extinction of certain kinds of life in the planet. The problem is that the adaptations to the new climate conditions are not going to be possible because the changes the climate is having are happening so fast without letting any possible genetic adaptation of those species (Lovett, 2011).
According to Biermann, one option that could help to understand the relation between humans and the natural environment is what he calls “Earth System Governance” (p. 279). As he affirms:
…Earth system governance is the interrelated and increasingly integrated system of formal and informal rules, rule-making systems, and actor-networks at all levels of human society (from local to global) that are set up to steer societies towards preventing, mitigating, and adapting to global and local environmental change and, in particular, earth system transformation, within the normative context of sustainable development… (p. 279)
The inconvenience with this proposal is the authority invested in this institution, and the application of power when necessary. There is no policy that helps the application of certain procedures or the control of production, if the nations involved are no longer in disposition for applying and following environmental recommendations. During the initial conformation of the IPCC, Canada was an integrant of honor due to its well established ecological policies related to green house gas production since consumerism was the point of view; however, during the same ten- year period time established to reduce the production of CO2 from industrial production, Canada seemed to increase drastically its CO2 production (Dion, 2011).
Canadian leaders argue that the levels of CO2 production is not due to only to industrial and economic growth, they argue that Canadian CO2 is produced industrially because there are other countries that need that production. In other words, while the CO2 production of Canada coming from internal consumption is lowering, the same source of CO2 in other countries is growing. Dion explains in his article “the fight against climate change” that the total production of green house gases in Canada is only the 1.88% of the global production while China’s green house gases production is 48% of the global total:
… Even if Canada took dramatic action and managed to reduce its GHG emissions by half, such efforts, by themselves, would not have a noticeable impact on the climate disturbances that threaten that country, because Canada accounts for only 1.88% of global emissions… For a long time, Canadian officials have argued that Canada’s GHG emissions should be attributed to the countries that consume Canadian resources, not just Canada itself. In 1999, Canada became the leading exporter of oil to the U.S. Shouldn't the emissions generated in extracting this oil be attributed, at least in part, to the Americans?... (p. 27a)
The debate is still on the table, although scientist and political leaders know the consequences of developing and applying new solid strategies to reverse the effect that a warmer climate can generate, there are no real intentions to give up whatever power nations and companies have earned by abusing planet earth. Day by day the gap between the wealthy and poor inhabitants grows making richer rich people and poorer poor people (Dower, 2004).
Redistributing monetary resources for reducing the levels of poverty in the world is an ideal that is stuck in the deep altruism of a more equal society. Having the right to access well designed education and basic nutritive food is important to generate a change that emerges from within society. Allowing poor countries to educate their population according to the necessities and the production capacities of each country will enhance a global conscience of self preservation (Risse, 2005).
Giving the opportunity of accessing information and avoiding the manipulation of the media in order to benefit private sectors, will provide each society in the world a sense of belonging to a place, to a planet that is equal in opportunities. Education focused on real issues that are affecting the future of the planet should be the most important subject in each academic institution. Seeing new perspectives for future and how it can be affected by each action of every single human being should be the labor of each course. Well educate citizens will act wisely, and will find the right choice at every moment (Arnt, 2010).
If each person in this world sees the real problematic of what is happening, but not as a social imbalance, but as a global community, individual actions will generate more severe changes in the reduction of green house gases (Dahbour, 2005). This author states:
…There are actually two rather different versions of this conception of global community that will be distinguished below. One emphasizes the terms of a fair global redistribution of wealth, while the other focuses on the rules of a global system of legal regulation… Global trading community appeals most often to those internationalists who seek global redistributions of income and wealth. Conceiving the world as a community of autonomous communities is most attractive to those seeking protection for regions, countries, and localities… (pp. 203-205)
Incorporating new life’s patterns, changing traditions that just benefit a few in the world could be the first step. Nobody is asking for dramatic changes. It is known that new generations will inherit the situation into their hands, but it is the responsibility of today’s adult members of diverse societies around the globe to introduce new options for new generations. There is no necessity of new toys every single year just because it is new or upgraded; there is no obligation of buying new electronic accessories just because they are one or two seconds faster than others. The real point is that humanity has fallen into the race for technology and knowledge (information) that is not usable. People want to know how famous people live; people want to see new and crazy videos of other people’s tragedies, craziness or stupidity. It is amazing how private corporations intend to sell their businesses into the concept of a better future, when in reality there is little chance of a better future if people do not take action. When a child that costs 10.000 dollars per year, and from which 1228 dollars are invested in transportation reaches his/her 17th year of life, will stop using parents transportation system for his/hers own transportation vehicle, which means more pollution, waste, and green house gases accumulation.
It is not rare to find the guy that spills engine oil into a water source, or the guy that flushes drugs in the bathroom, or the man that keeps all his house lights turned on throughout the day. There must be people that day by day use products coming in plastic packages as an easy option for avoiding glasses breaking; there must be people that waste food while at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean there are people starving and dying for bite of food.
As all these people live out there in the world that seems to be at times perfect and other times unfair, however, there are also people looking to sacrifice or at least try to make some change. Small changes in humankind consumerism can affect the future of planet earth; and it is simple.
In the manual presented by the US Department of Energy we are presented with a series of tips than can change the way of living. For example, just by combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with recommended insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling—and reduce environmental emissions—from 20%-50%; avoid idling. Think about it—idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. These simple acts waste fuel and increases emissions; avoid aggressive driving, such as speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking, which can lower your highway gas mileage by up to 33% and your city mileage by 5%; avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. For every 5 mph above 60 mph, it’s like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon of gasoline.
Water preservation is similar. By taking shorter showers, every single person will save lots of water. If your regular shower is around five minutes, and you cut one minute in that process, you will save 2.5 gallons of water. So think twice before taking those ten to 15 minutes hot water showers that only are a waste of money, energy, natural resources and a huge production of green house gases.
Waste production is another issue that affects the entire humanity. Today many industrialized countries like USA are having trouble processing the enormous amount of garbage that people produce. Still, there are places hiding radioactive disposals that are products from the cold war or from the nuclear experimentation programs that were initiated during the 1940’s (Passell, 1991). So far, societies pay attention to the individualistic action that the waste problematic outcome will just be global warming, however, it can also activate new and more aggressive infections, toxic production and new biological alterations of the human anatomy (Friess, 1977).
Using fax notes instead of separate cover sheets could save four million miles of fax paper; recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours; making aluminum cans out of raw materials takes 19 times the amount of energy than it takes to recycle a can; every 1,050 recycled milk jugs can make one six foot plastic park bench; glass never wears out. It can be recycled forever; recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil and 3 cubic yards of landfill space; recycling one ton on newspapers saves 15 trees. Deforestation will lead our community to the scarcity of food. The article presented by Investment Weekly News in 2011, points out:
Using fax notes instead of separate cover sheets could save four million miles of fax paper; recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours; making aluminum cans out of raw materials takes 19 times the amount of energy than it takes to recycle a can; every 1,050 recycled milk jugs can make one six foot plastic park bench; glass never wears out. It can be recycled forever; recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil and 3 cubic yards of landfill space; recycling one ton on newspapers saves 15 trees. Deforestation will lead our community to the scarcity of food. The article presented by Investment Weekly News in 2011, points out:
… Wild forests are disappearing at the alarming rate of 13 million hectares per year, and deforestation accounts for an estimated 17% of total annual global greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of deforestation are having devastating impacts on people and wildlife throughout the world and are threatening the resources humans need for survival. Climate change experts widely agree that climate stability cannot be achieved without the conservation of the world's remaining forests… (p. 1)
Now, it is impossible to think about something else than the future of new generations. If people are concerned with the latest gossip on television, or the way fashion affects our social life, more importantly, there needs to be reflection on the well known, but unexpected future. Individual action is the central starting point to promote a real social change that includes the possibility of a green planet for many more years; and as mentioned in the beginning of this document, it is the evidence that personal, individual, small and responsible changes in the way that each human being uses his/hers right for consuming and wasting are the answers for the solutions of the global climate change issue because of the actual methods in which our natural resources are being obtained are leading the future of our planet into a “no going back” exploited system.
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