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Overconsumption

The term overconsumption refers to a way of living in which the lifestyle patterns of human beings lead to an accelerated expenditure of natural resources. Overconsumption is connected to a series of values that promote lifestyles that are inherently unsustainable. In addition, the trend of population increase plays a significant role in the exacerbation of consumption impacts on the environment.

Evidence

The evidence for the presence of overconsumption is found in numerous lifestyle patterns. In terms of overall consumption, the United States, China, Japan, Russia, India, and many European nations share much of the blame for current conditions. According to author Jared Diamond, the U.S. consumption of natural resources, like oil and metal, combined with its production of wastes, like greenhouse gases and plastics, is about 32 times higher than in the developing world. A major concern with overconsumption is that consumption patterns indicate an increase in all areas, including resource use. In 1972, according to the team of Mathis Wackernagel, which studied ecological footprints, the planet was at 85 percent of the limits of sustainability. In 2008, sustainability was at 125 percent, meaning that humans were living beyond the sustainability of the planet's ecosystems. Some refer to this pattern as “ecological overshoot.” The result is the decline of fisheries and forests, the loss of potable drinking water, the decline of fertile soil, and more pollution and waste. If these patterns continue, ecologists argue that the lifestyles associated with overconsumption will result in the need of two or more equivalents of Earth just to meet these increasing strains and demands.

In terms of specific resource usage, the United States leads the world in electricity, oil, and natural gas consumption and is second in coal consumption. Worldwide, many nations have followed the lifestyle patterns of the United States. This, in turn, has led to further depletion of natural resources, the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and an increase in products that end up as garbage. While many nations share in the environmental effects of over-consumption, there is a striking disparity in terms of the overall patterns of consumption. According to Global Issues, in 2005, the wealthiest 20 percent of the world accounted for 76.6 percent of total private consumption, while the world's middle classes (60 percent of people) consumed 21.9 percent, and the poorest (20 percent of people) consumed only 1.5 percent. Furthermore, the richest 20 percent consume 45 percent of all meat and fish, 58 percent of total energy, 84 percent of all paper, and own 87 percent of the world's vehicles.

Effects

The effects of overconsumption are numerous, widespread, and long lasting. Natural resources will dwindle, and even those not directly used in the production of the many forms of consumption will decline. As human lifestyle patterns continue in an exponential pattern, the carrying capacity of ecosystems will be overwhelmed, leading to a decline of those ecosystems. Entire nations will experience the desertification of their lands, the draining of their aquifers, and the polluting of breathable air. Overconsumption is connected to demography. As 19th-century demographer Thomas Malthus suggested, the unnatural increase of population, if left unchecked, will result in a stripping of natural resources. Population is thus a multiplier of the many impacting patterns of overconsumption. Given population increases, one major concern is that if other nations follow the United States’ model of consumption, the environmental impact will be monumental. Coupled with the issue of population and consumption is the production of garbage. According to Paul Hawken, each American wastes 1 million pounds of materials per year. Heather Rogers adds that 80 percent of the products produced in the United States are used once, then discarded. These patterns of unsustainable living cannot be supported by the Earth's limited resources.

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