“Consumerism must be curbed”

A report from the Worldwatch Institute calls for lifestyle shifts to achieve sustainability and calls for us to reject consumerism. The renowned environmental think tank released it’s  State of the World 2010 report this week which outlines a blueprint for changing our entire way of life to achieve a sustainable and viable future.

“Preventing the collapse of human civilisation requires nothing less than a wholesale transformation of dominant cultural patterns. This transformation would reject consumerism… and establish in its place a new cultural framework centred on sustainability,” states the report. We need to reduce the number of flights we take; get rid of bottled water; ditch gas guzzling cars and recycle far more of our waste according to the publication.

A seismic shift in thinking is needed, according to senior researcher Erik Assadourian, project director of the report: “Making policy and technology changes while keeping cultures centred on consumerism and growth can only go so far. To thrive long into the future, human societies must shift their cultures so sustainability becomes the norm.”

As populations around the globe continue to rise, resources are put under increasing pressure and people should not wait for governments to set targets and restrictions to take action. The report calls for individuals to take responsibility for their own role in a sustainable future by curbing consumerism and reigning in wasteful habits.

But the report’s findings were attacked last night by Dr Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. “Let’s face it, by 2050, the combined population of China and India alone will have grown to three billion. By then, most Chinese and Indians will have adopted an urban lifestyle. This… makes demands for radical curbs in consumerism and CO2 emissions utterly unrealistic.” Read more…