The difference between needs and wants is simple, but difficult to make a choice between them. Needs are things you must have to live. This includes things like food and water. Wants are things you just really want, like a new phone or toy. A significant issue is that wanting too much stuff can cause an overconsumption of materials. Making all those extra items uses up lots of Earth's materials, and it wastes energy. Also, it creates pollution. If everyone focused more on just meeting their basic needs instead of always getting the new and trendy items, we would stop hurting the environment so much and save natural resources.