We live in troubling times for the environment. Every year, average temperatures continue to rise around the world. People in many areas experience weather extremes. Habitats rich in biodiversity aren’t just being destroyed by human activity; they are gradually being rendered incapable of sustaining their original ecosystems.
Though there are still some who deny the empirical evidence, most people know that we need to change to live sustainably in the future. But sometimes the message seems to fall on deaf ears.
When people install solar panels or switch to energy-efficient appliances, they are helping the environment. But this can also create an impression that by doing something, we are already doing enough. The rest lies in the hands of our government or large corporations.
The opposite is true. Small individual actions help, but they should only be the starting point of a collective, continuous improvement towards sustainability. Here’s why more action is needed from every one of us.
Differences in relative impact
Owing to rapid advances in technology, we live in a world that’s more networked than ever before. Efficient transportation over land, air, and sea enables companies to expand their operations. They can be more cost-effective by extending their supply chains across the globe. In turn, this makes it easier for consumers to obtain products manufactured in other countries.
Naturally, the flow and distribution of these products and services aren’t uniform. Developing countries provide cheap labor and abundant raw materials that incentivize overseas manufacturing in the first place. Most of the finished products tend to flow towards consumers in more affluent countries.
Now, combine this disparity in resource and product flows with the vast differences in population worldwide. And you can easily understand how a relatively small number of consumers in the developed world have a massive impact compared to the billions living in poorer nations.
This discrepancy is so vast that the average American consumes resources and produces waste at a factor 32 times greater than the average person from a developing country. And yet those same citizens tend to be the least willing to compromise or change their behavior.
According to the latest Greendex study by National Geographic, Americans rank last in all but one category of environmental attitudes and habits. And our behavior can be worsening; in general, affluent citizens have the biggest ecological impact while feeling the least remorse.
Current measures aren’t enough
It’s also easy to see why the typical consumer in the developed world feels so good about their behavior. After all, most information we receive about sustainability fails to address the problem of relative impact.
Thus, we fall into the trap of thinking that driving electric cars or switching off lights and computers when not in use is enough to offset our environmental impact. We believe that by taking such measures, we’re already playing our part.
Maybe you make a point of only buying sustainably sourced and packaged goods. But do you ever question the need for consumption in the first place? How often do you consider buying second-hand products instead of brand new? How willing are you to take public transportation, or bike to and from work, instead of driving?
With affluence comes a certain expectation of comfort and convenience. But when that lifestyle consumes 32 times what the majority of the world’s population needs to get by, it’s only reasonable for us to make further compromises.
Time for further change
Nonetheless, a lot of people insist that our impact matters little compared to what can be achieved by larger organizations. This argument doesn’t hold water, though, when you consider that businesses ultimately live or die based on how they serve the needs of their audience.
Use your voice as a consumer. Make it unequivocally clear that sustainability is part of your needs. Signal that more new products are not needed if existing models and used items will suffice. Less demand will trigger lower production.
If it truly matters to the consumer, businesses can’t ignore that feedback. And in the wake of the pandemic, they are listening more attentively than ever to what consumers want. They are also more open to reorganize and change their operations now that they’ve experienced a disruption on a global scale.
The time is not only ripe for further change; it’s never been more urgent. We can’t continue to draw upon a disproportionate share of the world’s resources while insisting that the problems of other countries are not our problems as well.
Meta Title: We Need to Keep on Working Toward Improved Sustainability
Meta Description: People are more aware than ever of the need to fight for the environment. But following a few sustainability practices isn’t enough. Here’s why we all need to start doing more.
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