Ecological Crisis Caused by Overconsumption and Environmental Problems

Ecological Crisis Caused by Overconsumption and Environmental Problems

Ecological Crisis Caused by Overconsumption and Environmental Problems

Table of contents

Introduction 1
Main body 1
Environmental Problems in Rachel Carson’s Article 1
Overconsumption in David Suzuki’s Article 2
Solutions of the Problems 4
Conclusion 5
References 6

Introduction

In this essay, the author will discuss on the theme of ecological crisis caused by over consumption and pollutions reflected in Rachel Louise Carson’s and David Suzuki’s articles. Firstly, environment problems in Rachel Louise Carson are A fable for tomorrow will be discussed. Secondly, the problem of over consumption in modern society will be analyzed based on David Suzuki’s article “Overpopulation is Bad but Overconsumption is Worse”. At last, the author will give two simple solutions for solving such problems.

Main body

Environmental Problems in Rachel Carson’s Article

Rachel Louise Carson was born in 1907 and she was a famous American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring has been attracting people’s attention on environmental problems and ecological crisis all over the world. Carson became a nature writer in 1950s and her bestseller book The Sea around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award in 1951. Then, in the late 1950s, Carson began to research environmental problems such as the pollution of synthetic pesticides. After several years’ hard working and research, she wrote a most influential book—Silent Spring in 1962. Just because of this book, American people began to think seriously about the environmental problems and environmental protection. Although there were great oppositions from chemical companies, Silent Spring spurred a reversal in American pesticide policy and from then on, a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides began. Moreover, this book contributed to the establishment of an environmental movement named U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At the same time, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson).

A fable for tomorrow tells a story about a town’s tomorrow in the author Rachel Carson’s imagination. The town was once like a xanadu lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards (Rachel Carson ). With time went by, over 500 basic chemicals had been created for use in killing insects, weeds, rodents, and other organisms described in the modern vernacular as “pests”. However, abusing of these chemicals led to serious pollution to air, water and soil and other living beings. So few years later, there were no birds singing in the tree, hens on the farms brooded, but there were no chicks hatched. Raising pigs became impossible because the young survived only a few days after birth. In a word, this town was dying day by day because of serious pollution.

Overconsumption in David Suzuki’s Article

David Takayoshi Suzuki was born in 1936 in Canada, known for his TV and radio series and books about the study on nature and the environment from 1970s on. Suzuki is an academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist, and he earned a Ph. D in 1961. From 1963 to 2001, he was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia. Suzuki is well known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment and he is also known as host of a popular science magazine The Nature of Things. In 1990, Suzuki founded the David Suzuki Foundation with other people, and the priorities of this Foundation are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, and Suzuki’s Nature Challenge. In 2009 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award and his book The Legacy won the Nautilus Book Award in 2011.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ David Suzuki)

In Suzuki’s article “Overpopulation is Bad but Overconsumption is Worse”, he explains about his views on over consumption. In his opinion, over consumption in Canada is much worse than overpopulation in the Third World. Dr. David Suzuki has stated that Canadians consume nearly 20 times more than a person living in India or China and even up to 70 times more than the people in Bangladesh. (David Suzuki ) consumption is something right but over consumption is a great waste and it leads to big economic and environmental problems. The more consumption means the more production, the more production means the more use of materials and manual labor. In the process of producing, series of problems come, such as the over-exploitation to the nature, the pollution to the air and soil, and so on. In the process of consumption, other problems appear: more and more people are overweight or obese and their bodies are not so good than before; food and production packaging cause the white pollution, which can give harm to soil and water on the earth for thousands of years.

Solutions of the Problems

From introduction above, it can be seen that both over consumption and environmental problems such as air pollution and soil pollution can cause big ecological crisis. Kenneth R. Weiss points out in his article: “global birthrates are falling, but with many in their fertile years and political and cultural forces against contraception, the population explosion in the world is far from over” (2012). In fact, overpopulation is not yet the real reason for ecological problems, but over consumption and pollutions are. Then, how to solve these problems? This essay will give some effective suggestion for solving problems.

Firstly, people should simply reduce consumption and manage waste with more responsibility. Before you buy something-from a pair of shoes to a new house or a new car, and so on, you should ask a question to yourself: “do you really need this, or you just want it?” In fact, many people buy things just because they want them but not because they need them. So, if people can reduce buying things they do not need indeed, over consumption should be effectively alleviated.

Secondly, start to protect the environment and to live in harmony with our surroundings from now on. Enterprises and factories should learn to create more effective technologies in order to reduce energy consumption and the usages of nature resources. As for ordinary people, to reduce the times to buy takeaway and fast food or to reduce the times for driving is also a simple way to protect the global environment.

Conclusion

Resources on the earth are limited and the environment human beings live by is getting worse day by day. Over consumption brings huge wastes of food, materials, and mutual labors and so on. Over consumption can also lead to pollution to the earth, and the same as pesticides. Therefore, overconsumption and the environmental problems are issues should be solved immediately for the healthy development of the earth.
References

Alan Durning. (1992), How Much is enough? The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth? WW. Norton & Co.

David Suzuki, Overpopulation is Bad but Overconsumption is Worse. in Refining Reading Writing.

Rachel Carson, A Fable for Tomorrow, in Refining Reading Writing

Smith R. (1993) Overpopulation and Overconsumption. BMJ. May 15; 306 (6888):1285-1286.

Kenneth R. Weiss. (2012), “Fertility rates fall, but global population explosion goes on”, Los Angeles Times, July 22. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/population/la-fg-population-matters1-20120722-html,0,7213271.htmlstory.

Introduction to Rachel Carson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson.

Introduction to David Suzuki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ David Suzuki

References: Alan Durning. (1992), How Much is enough? The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth? WW. Norton & Co. David Suzuki, Overpopulation is Bad but Overconsumption is Worse. in Refining Reading Writing. Rachel Carson, A Fable for Tomorrow, in Refining Reading Writing Smith R. (1993) Overpopulation and Overconsumption. BMJ. May 15; 306 (6888):1285-1286. Kenneth R. Weiss. (2012), “Fertility rates fall, but global population explosion goes on”, Los Angeles Times, July 22. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/population/la-fg-population-matters1-20120722-html,0,7213271.htmlstory. Introduction to Rachel Carson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson. Introduction to David Suzuki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ David Suzuki