Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
well-being and happiness indicators and correlates negatively with material consumption,
emissions, and ecological footprint (Moffatt, 2008).
Faster lifestyle demands more energy
Modern times are associated with fast lifestyles. In most parts of the world, society performs
activities at a much higher speed than counterparts did just a century ago. Time has become an
important variable in daily lifestyles; and to be effective most tasks, including daily activities,
such as transportation or preparing a meal, to more complex ones such as the construction of
a building, need to be fast.
Fast lifestyles come at the price of higher energy consumption. It is an unavoidable physics
principle than the execution of “work” takes more energy when done at a higher speed than at
a lower one. So, by increasing the speed of lifestyles, we use more energy and all the resources
associated with its production. And using energy at a higher rate means that more “power”
needs to be delivered to execute the work in a shorter period of time.
So from the sustainability point of view, and unless we find an unrestricted source of
energy, a slower pace in the future may become the norm.
The economy
The economy is linked closely with social behavior and resources consumption. The economic
system is based on constant growth, which is supported by high levels of consumption of
essential and nonessential products as well. The mass production of inexpensive goods has
created a consumption explosion and the promotion of a “throw-away society” (Robins and de
Leeuw, 2001).
A globalized economy, based on low-cost fossil fuels, has helped the trend of constant
growth based on market expansion and the production of goods in countries with low labor
costs and minimal environmental regulations.
High levels of consumption translate into elevated use of valuable resources, including energy,
fossil feedstocks, and water, and the creation of waste that needs disposal. Humans use limited
resources to make many products that have little value in terms of need or user satisfaction and
that are thrown away after short life cycles. Unfortunately, we are producing often unnecessary
goods today with resources we will need in the future to make essential products such as medi-
cine and food.
Consumerism
The excessive consumption of nonessential goods, often referred to as consumerism, is based
on the notion of promoting consumption of goods that benefits the economic system.
According to conventional wisdom, consumerism is an exclusive phenomenon of the
developed world, but it is widespread in the emerging middle classes of developing countries,
which in combination creates a similar buying power to that of the inhabitants of indus-
trialized countries who are not all affluent (Robins and de Leeuw, 2001). Moreover,
globalization of the economy has made many products available that otherwise were
inaccessible in developing countries (Mayell, 2004).
Consumption is often promoted, and thought of, as an instrument of happiness and well-
being. Other schools of thought disagree, stating that once a threshold of basic needs is
satisfied, buying power does little to overall human satisfaction, and that counting on a support
