Materials Economy
Introduction
There is a cycle to almost everything in this world. For example, humans, trees and rain each work within a certain cycle but how about the cycle of materials economy? Most people don’t know who is behind it or who participates in it. It is mostly governments and corporations who are behind this way of living and the public are the ones participating in it. Based on the “Story of Stuff” video, this cycle goes through five main phases: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. From my point of view, the UAE does participate in this system but is also starting to use a new system that is environment friendly. For instance, building green communities and using renewable sources such as the solar energy.
Extraction
Extraction can also be expressed as turning the world into garbage. By that we mean using all the natural sources we have such as forests by chopping them off and leading animals to extinction because we are getting rid of their habitat. “Today humanity uses an equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste” (World Footprint, 2012).This being said means we have to find other ways or other resources without harming our existence.
Production
The main element her eat the production process is toxins. Where almost everything being produced contains toxic chemicals therefore it harms the environment. Not only that but it also affect these workers who work at those production industries by having to deal with toxics every day. Moreover, these people are forced to work at such places because their homes are being destroyed in order to uses the sources; which leads them to move to bigger cities and find whatever job there is to survive. Why is that? It is because “in this system if you don’t own or buy a lot of stuff, you don’t have value” (Story of Stuff, 2007).
Distribution
At this process what has been produced is being sold. Basically what it means is that all the toxic materials made are being bought by us. Therefore it is harmful not to people who consume it but to the environment as well. These materials are priced very inexpensively where “we aren’t really paying for the stuff we buy” (Story of Stuff, 2007) but the people whom lost their habitats and are forced to work at minimum wage to live.
Consumption
Here is where it all happens, the most important role at the materials economy, consumption. People are buying things they don’t need just because everyone else is having it or using it. For example, the fashion industry. Clothes and even shoes there is a season for everything where these shoes are in trend and the next season they are out of trend. Therefore, we are obligated to buy more items just to make ourselves feel better instead of caring about getting happy in life.
Disposal
After we are done with all the products we bought we have to dispose them by causing more harm to the environment by burning the stuff we got rid of. Here we are creating more toxic pollution and is known for dioxin. “Dioxin is the most toxic man made substance known to science. And inclinators are the number one source of dioxin” (Story of Stuff, 2007). Not just that but not to trash the developed countries with these poisonous chemicals they are sent to undeveloped countries doing them even more harm.
Consumerism in the UAE
Here in the UAE people consume as much as people do in the US, maybe more. Where at a small place with a large population, pollution is concentrated in one area. That is why Masdar is always looking for renewable sources. Masdar and the international water summit are discussing to find solutions of how to use water as a renewable source in a way not to harm the environment. Their main job is to work “every day to provide water and sanitation services which create healthy living conditions, fuel the economy, protect the environment and enhance living conditions for the citizens of planet earth”. (Celsias, 2012)
Conclusion
In other words, instead of making our planet and lives miserable, we can find other ways to a better life. For example, we can reduce the extraction of sources, produce more durable products, live in local communities and use minimum toxic materials as possible.
References
International Water Summit Launched in Abu Dhabi | Use Celsias.com - reduce global Celsius. (2012, January 19). Use Celsias.com - reduce global Celsius. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from http://www.celsias.com/article/international-water-summit-launched-abu-dhabi/
Global Footprint Network. (n.d.). http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/
Leonard, A. (2007, December 4). Story of Stuff. The Story of Stuff Project. The Story of Stuff Project. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/
APA formatting by BibMe.org.
Word Count: 800
No comments:
Post a Comment