Alan Durning's 'The Conundrum Of Consumption'
When is enough, enough?
Do you think the way we consume products effects the Earth’s survival? In “The Conundrum of Consumption”, author Alan Thein Durning believes the consumer behavior and the detrimental effects of consumption are destroying the world’s natural environment. Durning discusses that consuming goods has become the way of life. Durning exposes that our appetites to live the American Dream have taken a toll on the earth’s natural environment, and suggests that there are other paths to fulfillment. Durning suggests the earth’s sustainability depends on the reduction of consumption levels and realizing that materialistic things do not defines one’s happiness. Durning says we need to address the problem of consumption because it …show more content…
Durning mentions people selfishly abuse goods, which in turn hurts the environment. “The consumer society’s exploitation of resources threatens to exhaust, poison, or unalterably disfigure forests, soils, water, and air” (200). People are responsible for the harm that is caused to the environment. Pollution is one of the effects of consumption. Earthjustice says cement kilns are infecting our air, water, and food with mercury. Cement kilns release mercury into the environment through the cement-making process. Mercury is released in the air then goes to the water, which then infects the fish, which makes it unsafe for people to eat. In order to control mercury pollution, E.J. wants the Environmental Protection Agency to set mercury standards for cement kilns. E.J. Wrote a report called, “Cementing a Toxic Legacy?” about how the EPA has failed to control mercury pollution from cement kilns. E.J. prepared this report “to release the results of the EPA’s data summary to the public, to highlight the health and environmental threats posed by specific kilns that appear to have especially high mercury emission levels, to expose what appears to be gross under- reporting of mercury emissions from cement kilns, and to call upon EPA to act swiftly to set appropriate standards for this toxic pollutant” (“Cementing a …show more content…
Durning suggests stricter laws and taxes will help get us closer to accomplishing our goal. “Scientific advances, better laws, restructured industries, new treaties, environmental taxes, grassroots campaigns – all can help us get there” (201). With some assistance from the U.S. government, consumption can definitely be controlled. In a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. E.J. fought to force the EPA to obey once and for all, the conditions of the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act states, “Passed in 1970. Indentifies various classes of pollutants harmful to people and to the environment and sets rigid schedules by which the EPA must issue regulations to bring various kinds of activities into compliance with its standards” (www.earthjustice.org/about_us/how_we_work/). So, earthjustice went to court to fight against the EPA and won. “A federal appeals court ruled…that a rulemaking by the EPA violates the Clean Air Act by evading mandatory cuts in toxic mercury pollution from coal-and oil-fired power plants” (“Court Says EPA Rule Allowing More Power Plant Mercury is Illegal” paragraph 1). This victory has forced the EPA to abide by the law, and hopefully the ruling will show that you may duck and dodge the law, but it will eventually catch up to
Do you think the way we consume products effects the Earth’s survival? In “The Conundrum of Consumption”, author Alan Thein Durning believes the consumer behavior and the detrimental effects of consumption are destroying the world’s natural environment. Durning discusses that consuming goods has become the way of life. Durning exposes that our appetites to live the American Dream have taken a toll on the earth’s natural environment, and suggests that there are other paths to fulfillment. Durning suggests the earth’s sustainability depends on the reduction of consumption levels and realizing that materialistic things do not defines one’s happiness. Durning says we need to address the problem of consumption because it …show more content…
Durning mentions people selfishly abuse goods, which in turn hurts the environment. “The consumer society’s exploitation of resources threatens to exhaust, poison, or unalterably disfigure forests, soils, water, and air” (200). People are responsible for the harm that is caused to the environment. Pollution is one of the effects of consumption. Earthjustice says cement kilns are infecting our air, water, and food with mercury. Cement kilns release mercury into the environment through the cement-making process. Mercury is released in the air then goes to the water, which then infects the fish, which makes it unsafe for people to eat. In order to control mercury pollution, E.J. wants the Environmental Protection Agency to set mercury standards for cement kilns. E.J. Wrote a report called, “Cementing a Toxic Legacy?” about how the EPA has failed to control mercury pollution from cement kilns. E.J. prepared this report “to release the results of the EPA’s data summary to the public, to highlight the health and environmental threats posed by specific kilns that appear to have especially high mercury emission levels, to expose what appears to be gross under- reporting of mercury emissions from cement kilns, and to call upon EPA to act swiftly to set appropriate standards for this toxic pollutant” (“Cementing a …show more content…
Durning suggests stricter laws and taxes will help get us closer to accomplishing our goal. “Scientific advances, better laws, restructured industries, new treaties, environmental taxes, grassroots campaigns – all can help us get there” (201). With some assistance from the U.S. government, consumption can definitely be controlled. In a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. E.J. fought to force the EPA to obey once and for all, the conditions of the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act states, “Passed in 1970. Indentifies various classes of pollutants harmful to people and to the environment and sets rigid schedules by which the EPA must issue regulations to bring various kinds of activities into compliance with its standards” (www.earthjustice.org/about_us/how_we_work/). So, earthjustice went to court to fight against the EPA and won. “A federal appeals court ruled…that a rulemaking by the EPA violates the Clean Air Act by evading mandatory cuts in toxic mercury pollution from coal-and oil-fired power plants” (“Court Says EPA Rule Allowing More Power Plant Mercury is Illegal” paragraph 1). This victory has forced the EPA to abide by the law, and hopefully the ruling will show that you may duck and dodge the law, but it will eventually catch up to