Eco Consumerism

Hello to all the Eco-Warriors of the world!

In this post, I am going to explain what and why we should follow eco consumerism. Over consumption is one of the biggest factors to global warming, and here are some facts on it

Firstly, what is consumerism? The idea of consumerism is that an increase of consumption in goods and services is economically wanted and it serves as one of the main drivers of the countries GDP. Now, while that might be true, it also has an environmental impact. This theory leads to resource depletion, pollution, and a rise of  “Throwaway Culture” where item are discarded sooner because people buy the newer models. Some say that the theory of consumerism promotes personal happiness, success, and a higher social status because some say it signifies wealth, while others say it creates a competitive environment where there is pressure to buy things. This encourages frequent purchasing, causing mass production, which might lead to lower pricing, but higher standards of living. 

And secondly… why? There are a few main drivers for this topic. The first one I noticed is urbanisation, where an individual is exposed to markets far more, leading to increased consumer habits. The second is financialisation, this is in relation to finance apps such as UPI, because of this digital finance management, buying goods is easier compared to 3 decades ago. This all falls under globalization - which is the integration of national economies, cultures, and societies.One other reason is western influence -  western media, fashion, food, and lifestyle choices can affect our lifestyle choices here, today. Even advertisements today use western cues to signal modernity. But, even in spite of all this, the influence is localised rather than direct imitation.