What is overconsumption?
What is overconsumption? Over compared to what? Is there a normal consumption? How do we measure it?
On our quest to find solutions to the problem of overconsumption we faced these questions ourselves. If we want to solve problems, first we have to define what they are. So we set out to find answers and here is what we have learned.
Defining overconsumption is complex. Consumption is a natural part of life since humans need to eat, dress, and socialize to live a fulfilling and functional life. But there is a point where consumption is no longer about a meaningful life. It turns into patching up existential holes or straight out gluttony, unfortunately at the expense of our planet.
If we want to understand where the tipping point is, we have to look at two perspectives: consumption from a subjective and objective standpoint.
Subjective Overconsumption
The subjective perspective looks at how individuals feel about their own consumption. In the western consumer culture happiness is the direct consequence of material consumption. The more stuff we have, the happier we are…well, supposed to be. This means, to understand if an individual is overconsuming from the subjective perspective we have to look at if what he/she buys truly leads to fulfillment and happiness. Here are a few ideas how to do that:
- Look for subjective regret: If someone feels regret after a purchase, it is a sure sign that that item is not only inessential but straight out harmful for their well-being
- Look for subjective joy: Marie Condo urges us to scrutinize our possessions and keep only the ones that “spark joy”. The rest is just excess.
- Look for mental discomfort: There is a range of other emotions beyond regret and joy to signal that we are consuming more than we can handle: the feeling of creeping irritation looking at the pile of year old magazines collecting dust in the corner, or the overwhelming frustration not being able to close the wardrobe because of the massive amount of clothes, or the constant anxiety about mounting debts as a result of keeping up with the latest tech trends.
- Look at physical well being: Food overconsumption can easily lead to serious physical consequences. And how about spending so much time scrolling for the best deal that we forget to move our body, or cook healthy meals?
Objective overconsumption
The objective overconsumption turns the focus from individual perception to planetary boundaries. We have to look at how natural resources are used to meet consumer needs and its impact on the environment. To do that we have to understand three things:
- The total amount of resources that society should consume within a given timeframe. Luckily scientists have put their heads together to make some mind-blowing calculations. Today we have an idea about the total amount of natural resources and also about the intensity they are being used up. Earth overshoot day is the day when “humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year”. In 1970 it was at the end of December but in 2020 it slipped 4 month ahead, to August 22.
2. The individual’s share of those resources. Here we turn to science agin. Nicholas Stern states in his impactful report in 2006, that each individual should reduce their CO2 emission to 2 tonnes per capita.(1) In 2011 the World Economic Forum estimated 3 tons of CO2 emission and 72 gigajoules (GJ) primary energy use per capita as sustainable.(2) As a comparison, a US and an European citizen emits 16 and 7.5 tons per capita respectively (data from 2019). In a nutshell: we use way more than our fair share.
3. The types and quantities of resources used in the production of goods and services. Have you ever thought about all the environmental impact that one carton of milk in your fridge has? How many kilometers has this milk travelled around? Where did the food for the cows come from? Was it grown on deforested Amazon land? How much waste was created during the production process? As an average milk buyer, you can not answer these questions, let alone estimate the environmental impact. Even though there are some initiatives to measure these impacts, ecological footprint is rarely an influencing factor when making a buying decision.
After looking at the two sides it is easy to see that for a sustainable future we have to balance the subjective and the objective standpoints. As the natural resources are finite and there is a limitation to their regeneratablity, we consumers must be more careful using them. We have to consume less and give nature space and time to do its amazing work and regrow what we have taken.
To address the issues on the subjective side, we have to learn to be more mindful about what brings value to our life, and let go of the rest. On the objective side, we need to be more educated about hard facts to integrate environmental impact into our everyday decision making process.
Unfortunately today it is not the case. We see a horrid imbalance to the side of subjective consumption. Let’s change that together!
Did we answer our question: what is overconsumption? Partly. We didn’t come up with a definitive answer, but we set an initial approach, and it is a start. Our goal is not to settle on an idea, but continuously reflect on our learnings and deepen our understanding as we go. So we have a foundation now, and looking forward to build on it.
SOURCES
(1) The Stern Review: The economics of Climate Change
(2) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), 2011. World Economic and Social Survey 2011 — The Great Green Technological Transformation, Chapter 2.https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/wess_current/2011wess_chapter2.pdf
(3) US/ Europe CO2 emission per capita: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions
Brown M. P, Cameron D. L, (2000), What can be done to reduce overconsumption?, Ecological Economics, Volume 32, Issue 1,
( piture from: dribbble)
