Overconsumption causes extinction.

We’ve got kind of a problem here. On the right side of the pendulum, consumerism has reached an all-time high, with products reaching their planned obsolescence within absurdly short timespans and new products being rolled out (and bought) by the millions every day. And, since every action has an equal and opposite reaction , we have to expect consequences. So, on the left side of the pendulum, we’re looking at the very real possibility of a mass extinction, the sixth on record for our planet and the first since the extinction of the dinosaurs – sixty five million years ago.

You could argue that extinction is a natural phenomenon and you’d be right, in isolated situations. But considering the scale of this potential mass extinction, we’re talking the possible loss of three fourths of earth’s current species, it’s hard to view it as anything other than grossly un natural. Rather than the large-scale natural disasters like meteors or successive volcanic eruptions believed to have caused past mass extinctions, scientists say this one’s different. Human activities including deforestation, over-fishing, poaching and global warming could be to blame for a sixth mass extinction: Human activities largely driven by our society’s demand for having more than we need, resulting in the highest ever annual global waste generation on record. I’m not saying our garbage is the only or even the primary cause of our current environmental situation, but it plays a significant role, and the ‘must-have mindset’ driving it an even bigger one.

This isn’t good. We’re already seeing very real and devastating examples of the environmental impact of our throw-away society. Ever heard of “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”? It’s not an urban legend. Google it.

There are, obviously, a boatload of reasons why society has evolved into such a remarkable waste producing machine. Whether its food, housing, energy or consumer products, we are taking more from the planet than we ever have before, and there’s more of us doing it. Most of us eat more, use more, buy more and have more than we need. And we throw more of it in the garbage. A lot more. But why?