Discussion Thread Name: Wants or Needs?
Your Post:
People say that individual footprints don’t matter, because corporations are the ones causing the vast majority of pollution. While it is true that corporations are the biggest culprits, our own actions absolutely play a part; we are the ones buying products from them, after all. The problem with individual actions lies in creating a large enough change in an amount of people that will actually have any impact. You might recycle plastic bottles, but there’s a reason Americans produce twice as much carbon as the global average. Reducing carbon emissions to a sustainable level requires more than minor actions; it would require fundamental changes in the consumerist culture of the US. Consumption is ingrained so deep in our society that our happiness is derived from a constant cycle of buying the newest technology and fashion. If we instead placed our highest priorities on the functionality of our purchases, we would solve the problem at its root.