A fairer world - The Tasmanian Center for Global Learning

Did you know?
  • Since 1950, the richest fifth of humanity has doubled its consumption of energy, meat, timber, steel and copper per person. *
  • Australians now spend around one third of their household budget on convenience foods, * and Australia is now being ranked as one of the fattest developed nations, closely following USA rates. *
  • There are now more cars in the United States than drivers. *


Take action

  • Simplify your lifestyle by utilising some of the ideas put forward on the sites listed on this page.

Consumerism

"Buying a car is a big step up in society. Now we have a car, I feel that people look at us differently."
Woman interviewed at motor show in Beijing.

Humanity is becoming a race of consumers. The entire economy of the ‘developed’ world is geared to consumption - a process that is driven by saturation advertising. We consume more and more but we do not get any happier. This is hardly surprising as advertising is designed to keeps us dissatisfied.

Our greedy appetites are having a terrible impact upon the world. The quality of life enjoyed by the rich comes at the expense of the poor. The richest one-fifth of humanity accounts for 86 percent of global private consumption expenditure.* For everyone on Earth to enjoy the material wealth of Australians, we would need several additional planets. In Australia, it is estimated that “total wasteful consumption amounts to over $10.5 billion dollars annually spent on goods and services that are never or hardly ever used.” *

Overconsumption is a primary influence of upon climate change and thus on the future of our planet. Australia’s carbon footprint is three times the global average.*  And within Australia itself, the annual carbon footprint of high-income households is 160 percent greater than that of the poorer households.*

The global economy is geared to growth, and we have equated growth with ever-increasing consumption. The poor need economic growth desperately. The rich need to explore ways to live more ethically and simply by using less of the world’s resources.

See also Corporations.


Find out more about consumerism and its global impacts

The rise of consumerism underlies many of the inequities and injustices that plague our planet. Understanding the nature of consumerism helps us to find ways of working towards a fairer world.

  • Global Issues has a section entitled Behind Consumption and Consumerism which discusses many of the core issues.

Moving towards a simpler and less consumption-oriented lifestyle

Across the “developed” world there is an increasing interest in living more simply and more justly. A variety of groups have formed around these ideals and they offer ideas and support to those who wish to take similar action. Here are a few sites that can serve as useful starting points.
  • “Fifty possible ways to challenge over-commercialism” on the Earth Healing site is another source of actions that the individual can take to reduce their consumption.

Fighting for the rights of consumers and against the consumerist paradigm

While overconsumption is an international problem, we as individuals, still have to consume. It is important that the rights of consumers be protected and that consumers be fully informed.

  • Consumers International is a federation of consumer rights groups. They work internationally for policies that respect consumer concerns and run programs in a wide variety of areas like capacity building and consumer education.
  • Consumers Online is an Australian government site which contains a broad range of background information and, through an associated site, access to local and international links.
  • Ethical Consumer is a British magazine that fights against corporate misbehaviour.
  • Adbusters is another magazine, one which is challenging and questioning the corporate foundation of consumerist culture.

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