Capitalism and Consumerism: How These Economies Hurt the Environment
As you may already know, our environment is being affected in negative ways. Natural resources are slimming, pollution is rampant, and global warming is increasing. Trees and forests are being cut down rapidly and water quality is starting to decrease. Things haven’t always been this way. However, things got this way because of two reasons. These reasons are capitalism and consumerism.
Capitalism and consumerism go hand in hand. Consumerism provides an excuse, reason, or driving force for capitalism, allowing the masses to benefit through their individual consumption whilst capitalists profit (Gordon, 2002). The public purchase items that satisfy their wants and capitalists …show more content…
A driver needs gasoline to get where he wants to go and will pay the gas station for it. Because of this huge profit, oil is being extracted from the ground rapidly. Not only does this damage the landscape, but since oil is a natural resource, it will eventually run out. And not only is it a natural resource, but it also causes air pollution. If oil continues being extracted at this rate, it will run out more so sooner than later. Another example of why the duo is causing the environment harm is global warming.
Global warming is becoming increasingly more serious because of the capitalism and consumerism duo. The buildup of carbon dioxide is primarily the result of burning oil, gas, coal, wood, and other fuels to provide energy for capitalist society (SLP, 1998). This profit-motivated mindset is also causing more harm by taking its toll on trees, as forests are being cut down (SLP, 1998). This not only takes away our oxygen, but also takes away the plants that consume carbon dioxide and slow down the global warming process, therefore speeding it up. Air pollution is another main factor in the harming of the
As you may already know, our environment is being affected in negative ways. Natural resources are slimming, pollution is rampant, and global warming is increasing. Trees and forests are being cut down rapidly and water quality is starting to decrease. Things haven’t always been this way. However, things got this way because of two reasons. These reasons are capitalism and consumerism.
Capitalism and consumerism go hand in hand. Consumerism provides an excuse, reason, or driving force for capitalism, allowing the masses to benefit through their individual consumption whilst capitalists profit (Gordon, 2002). The public purchase items that satisfy their wants and capitalists …show more content…
A driver needs gasoline to get where he wants to go and will pay the gas station for it. Because of this huge profit, oil is being extracted from the ground rapidly. Not only does this damage the landscape, but since oil is a natural resource, it will eventually run out. And not only is it a natural resource, but it also causes air pollution. If oil continues being extracted at this rate, it will run out more so sooner than later. Another example of why the duo is causing the environment harm is global warming.
Global warming is becoming increasingly more serious because of the capitalism and consumerism duo. The buildup of carbon dioxide is primarily the result of burning oil, gas, coal, wood, and other fuels to provide energy for capitalist society (SLP, 1998). This profit-motivated mindset is also causing more harm by taking its toll on trees, as forests are being cut down (SLP, 1998). This not only takes away our oxygen, but also takes away the plants that consume carbon dioxide and slow down the global warming process, therefore speeding it up. Air pollution is another main factor in the harming of the