How Do We Stop Consumerism

This world is sinking in stuff. The stuff we pack into our wardrobe, store in our garage and acquire in shopping malls, and boutiques. Stuff that gets thrown out and washes up on shore, and stuff that causes billions of tons of carbon dioxide to split into the atmosphere every year. But all this stuff isn’t really necessary to live, indeed often we are not so happy because of it. So why do we buy all of this? But more importantly, how do we stop this uncontrol consumerism fueled by capitalist growth? Today, we try to answer those questions by shaping out a possible route through which we can end consumerism and craft a more ethical way of living well on this planet. When a brand launches a nice pair of jeans, buying for status, acceptance, desire, or because of an advertisement are all implanted in our conception of success and mental well-being. Under capitalism, we buy the right things as a way for us to follow acceptance from and connect with our peers. The blast of ads we encounter every day drives us to purchase those new items is not an inherently biological trait. Our hunt for harsher overconsumption is a symptom of capitalism. An economic system was dependent on constant growth to create profits. For a business to succeed, outcompete others, and ultimately rake in more profits, it must grow. One of the masterminds of this profit imperative is advertising. A way to make new products seem fresh, exciting, and even essential for your lifestyle. That new iPhone, headphones, and basically all of the fast fashion are the perfect example of this phenomenon. This advertising is not telling you what the company’s products are, but instead, what you could be with their company’s product. In short, capitalism needs to make more and more s remain effective. But more consumption and more income do not associate with more happiness. Studies reveal that after our basic materialistic needs are met, any additional consumption does little to improve happiness. In addition to its impact on individuals’ self-conception & mental health, capitalist overproduction, and subsequent overconsumption especially massive waste, emissions, and pollution. A country’s rise in emissions correlates strongly with its growth in GDP. Same with energy consumption and production. The capitalist growth model is unsuitable for a zero-carbon world. A fact that has been on display in the failures of decoupling strategies that try to use renewables aids over a gaping wound. And we can see it in the fact that even though renewable capacity is at an all-time high, so too is fossil fuel capacity. We’re emitting more than we ever have. Decoupling strategies just don’t adequately address the overwhelming scientific evidence that recognizes we need drastically reduce emissions quickly if we are to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

So, what other choices do we have if the capitalist growth/profit economy can’t exist alongside a zero-carbon, environmentally ethical one? The degrowth Solution Under the pressures of capitalism and consumerism, certain people are grasping for some form of release valve. Whether it be minimalism, slow living or zero waste living those with the privilege to do so are working to carve out some respite from the unhappiness of capitalist alienation. All of these lifestyle choices correctly recognize the detrimental effect of capitalist consumption on life and the environment, but they lack a structural approach that recognizes the importance of both the individual and the system. This is where degrowth comes in. Essentially, degrowth calls for a realignment of the economy from one based on overconsumption and “obsessive accumulation” to one that produces goods to satisfy real needs like housing, education, health, transport, and arts. At its core, degrowth seeks the dramatic contraction of rich countries to increase well-being for poorer countries. It now takes the Earth one year and some months to regenerate what we consume in a year, and by we, it means the richest 10% of the world, who are responsible for 50% of carbon emissions. So, degrowth completely reimagines living well in countries like the US or Germany. It means buying less, reducing meat consumption, repairing and no second homes on an individual level, but ultimately degrowth cannot function as just individual lifestyle choices. Systemic pathways, like subsidizing all housing retrofits, shutting down the 100 companies that are responsible for 71% of the emissions of the world, redistributing all food waste, dramatically expanding public transportation methods, localizing food production as much as possible, eliminating unnecessary marketing, and a robust emphasis on low carbon, care-oriented jobs like educators, therapists, and in-home care providers, are just some of the many ways to simultaneously improve the well-being of all while drastically reducing the Global consumption levels. You don’t have to live in cave degrowth doesn’t mean going back to the stone age, but it does mean a drastic reduction in energy and material consumption from the largest historical emitters like the United States. The simple truth is that to both avoid global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius while simultaneously establishing a decent living for the majority world, consumption levels of the world need to decline. One study modeled those countries with the highest per-capita consumers could cut their energy consumption rate by 95% and still live well with a combination of efficient technologies and alternative lifestyle choices. In addition, they found that a global reduction of energy consumption by 60% is not only feasible but also could be done in a way that brings a comfortable lifestyle to every single person on this planet. And if you’re thinking that a 60% reduction or even a 95% reduction would mean living in caves, you’d be wrong. The new reality would look like life for all people and experience well-being instead of relying on extra stuff to manage our emotional health. It would be an economy based on mutual repair and care.But this economic matter cannot happen under a state capitalist economic model. Indeed, degrowth to be handed down in policy from the ruling class it would look the same as severity measures or even the conditions we’re now living through now in the pandemic. Because, under capitalism, no growth means recessions, the consequences of which inevitably fall on the working class and the marginalized. This is why degrowth is just one piece of the puzzle. Towards ecosocialist degrowth: While degrowth does a sufficient job recognizing the inherent destruction of our current capitalist growth/profit system, it needs to be in conversation with ecosocialism. Ecosocialism cannot work without degrowth, and vise versa. A synthesis of the two creates a constant path away from capitalism. The appropriate means of production by laborers and the masses, and the subsequent full democratic control of the workplace and the state is essential to implement any measure of degrowth. Reducing consumption must bubble up democratically from the many, otherwise, it can quickly fall into harsh measures of economic oppression. This is why ecosocialism is essential, it allows for the reconstruction of the economy not based on profit and ultimately endless growth, but one based on needs—ultimately handing the working-class agency and liberation. Why does work need to defines our life? Why is it so much easier to buy than to repair? Faced with the realization that capitalist decoupling is not working as we continue to increase global consumption, an ecosocialist degrowth intervention must happen. After all, what could be more alluring than life with more time to be with the people you love and do the things you want to do.