"Overconsumption, a contributor to global warming?" - An editorial
January 10, 2007

There is a direct correlation between consumption habits and carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere - ultimately affecting our environment. The good news is that there exists a law of supply and demand and that we, the general public (consumers), directly affect big business (and CO2 emissions) by what we buy, and how much of it we buy. Think about it. The less we consume, the less these companies will manufacture – resulting in lower energy consumption (consequently CO2 emissions) during raw materials procurement, product manufacture, product distribution, product acquisition by the consumer, consumption, and waste disposal process. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and resources to turn raw materials into a finished product and then deliver that product to a point where it's available to the public. Then, the consumer has to expend energy and resources to retrieve and consume the product. Finally, additional energy and resources are expended to dispose of any part of the product which goes unconsumed (waste), or cannot be consumed (such as product packaging). So when we buy things that we don't really need, or are wasteful the result can be devastating to the environment - in the form of CO2 emissions, and the depletion of Earth's limited resources. Overconsumption not only refers to consumption of excessive portions and the purchase of what some may consider "excessive" products, but to the needless waste of products as well (wasted food). Also, confusing a want and a need can, in theory, cause overconsumption as well. You may consume a product because your first initial thought is that you need it, but when you think about it you discover it's actually only a want. So, the easy question to ask yourself before making a purchase is "do I really need this?". *It's also important to note that the United States, which is home to less than 5% of Earth's population, produces a whopping 25% of total CO2 emissions.

*Global Warming Heats Up article, April 6 2006 issue of Time Magazine

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