Globally Dying of Consumption – The impetus must come from citizens

If the warming of this planet is to be slowed—if not halted—it will not come about by government fiat, nor should it. Governments are reluctant to impose unpopular measures and the corporate sector will resist attempts to curtail our freedom to consume. This is the elephant in the room: the planet is dying of consumption, a fact that was recognized four decades ago.

So what’s the solution? The impetus must come from citizens. Their overwhelming support will stiffen the spines of political leaders.

It will require nothing less than a popular uprising, especially in the industrialized world, to convey the message that tackling climate change is urgent. And Canadians must express their willingness to swallow the bitter medicine necessary to solve the problem. For a start, we need to be less wasteful—we throw out more garbage per capita than people in any other developed country.  We also throw away half our food, but on this matter, we are not alone.

People in industrialized countries enjoy an unsustainable lifestyle that swallows up the bulk of the world’s resources. With about five per cent of the world’s population, Canada and the U.S. consume 32 per cent of its resources. If the rest of the world caught up with us, it would be catastrophic.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Our planet is dying of consumption, citizens can halt process | hilltimes.com