Overconsumption of Non-Renewable Resources: Seminar Report

SEMINAR REPORT OVERCONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
SEMINAR REPORT
ON
OVERCONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Submitted for Partial Fulfillment of Award of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
(2019-20)
BY
AADITYA
(ROLL NO: 1712240002)
MECHANICAL ENGINNERING
UNDER GUIDANCE OF
Mr. R.S. KUSHWAHA Mr. ARUN SHARMA
SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES, LUCKNOW
AFFILATED TO
DR.A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW
SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am highly indebted to my mentor (Mr. R.S. KUSHWAHA & Mr. ARUN SHARMA) for their
guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the
presentation & also for their support in preparing the report for the same.
I am highly grateful for the cooperation and encouragement that I received from my parents which
enabled me to prepare and deliver the presentation as well as this report within the stipulated time.
The help I received from my colleagues while preparing the presentation cannot be left
unappreciated. I thank them for helping me out with their skills and knowledge.
AADITYA
B.TECH. ME 51
1712240002
SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT ii

PREFACE
I have prepared this report on the topic OVERCONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE
RESOURCES. I have tried my best to elucidate all the relevant details to the topic chosen in this
report. With this report, I attempt to un-complicate this complicated topic for all the readers.
My efforts and wholehearted co-operation from everyone has concluded on a successful note. I
express my sincere gratitude to my mentor & coordinator Mr. R.S. KUSHWAHA & Mr. ARUN
SHARMA who assisted me throughout the preparation of this report. I thank them for providing me
the reinforcement, confidence and most importantly the track for the topic whenever I needed it.
AADITYA
B.TECH. ME-51
1712240002
SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................1
2. CAUSES OF OVERCONSUMPTION..............................................................3
3. OVERPOPULATION.........................................................................................4
4. EFFECTS OF OVERCONSUMPTION............................................................5
5. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT...........................................................................7
6. EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY.............................................................................9
7. WATER CONSUMPTION IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY.................................10
8. GLOBAL OIL CONSUMPTION.....................................................................11
9. GLOBAL FOREST CONSUMPTION............................................................13
10. STATE OF AIR.................................................................................................15
11. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT................................................................17
12. SOLUTIONS.....................................................................................................19
13. SWITCH TO CLEAN ENERGY....................................................................21
14. ANTI-CONSUMERISM...................................................................................24
15. REDUCE, REUSE AND RECOVER..............................................................25
16. CIRCULAR ECONOMY.................................................................................27
17. BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS..................................................................29
18. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................31
19.REFERENCES...................................................................................................32
SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT iv

INTRODUCTION
Overconsumption in simple terms can be defined as using or consuming something more than
required. Any product can be over consumed, be it fuel, water, electricity or even food. It is a
situation where resource use has outpaced the sustainable capacity of the ecosystem. Generally, the
discussion of overconsumption parallels that of human overpopulation; that is more the people,
more is the consumption of raw materials takes for sustenance. However, humanity's overall impact
on the planet is affected by many factors besides the raw number of people. Their lifestyle (including
overall affluence and resource utilization) and the pollution they generate (including carbon
footprint) are equally important. Currently, the inhabitants of the developed nations of the world
consume resources at a rate almost 32 times greater than those of the developing world, which make
up the majority of the human population (7.4 billion people). However, the developing world is a
growing market for consumption. These nations are quickly gaining more purchasing power and it is
expected that the Global South, which includes cities in Asia, America and Africa, will account for
56% of consumption growth by 2030. This means that consumption rates will plateau for the
developed nations and shift more into these developing countries.
A non-renewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by

natural means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal
are considered non-renewable resources, as their use is not sustainable because their formation takes
billions of years. Non-renewable sources are the opposite of renewable sources. The latter are
resources whose supply is infinite since it can be replaced naturally. Examples of renewable
resources include solar power, wind power, timber, and water.
The raw materials used and consumed in the world are mostly fossil fuels and non-metals,
such as building materials, clays, salts or phosphate. Fuels created from non-renewable resources are
still the primary source of all the power generated in the world, due to their affordability and high
energy content. Non-renewable resources are usually formed from organic carbon material which,
over the course of billions of years, is heated and compressed enough to change form into crude oil
and natural gas. Crude oil and natural gas are then used to manufacture everyday forms of fuel,
including gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, and propane. The term non-renewable resource also refers
to minerals and metals from the earth, such as gold, silver, and iron, which are similarly formed as a
long-term result of geological processes such as plate tectonics. These resources are often costly to
SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT 1

mine, as they are usually deep within the Earth's crust. But they are much more abundant than fossil
fuels.
The theory of overpopulation reflects issues of carrying capacity without taking into account
per capita consumption, by which developing nations are evaluated to consume more than their land
can support. The United Nations estimate that world population will reach 9.8 billion in the year
2050 and 11.2 in 2100. This growth will be highly concentrated in the developing nations which also
pose issues with inequality of consumption. The nations that will come into consumer dominance
must abstain from abusing certain forms of consumption, especially energy consumption of carbon
dioxide.
The question then arises, how long can this consumption be sustained? Is there a chance to
fulfill the requirement of inter-generational fairness, a―development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, the
internationally most widely accepted definition of sustainable development as defined in the United
Nations (UN) Report ―Our Common Future (The Brundtland Report, Pg.8)? Or, as defined by
Solow: ―a sustainable path is one that allows every future generation the option of being as well off
as its predecessors? Although not explicitly stated, embodied in the concept of sustainability is that it
be achieved over duration of time measured in centuries or millennia, not just decades. True
sustainability means practically forever or at least as long as human beings exist.

CAUSES OF OVERCONSUMPTION
In understanding the effects of over-consumption, it is pertinent to understand what causes the
phenomenon. There is a spectrum of goods and services that the world population constantly
consumes. These range from food and beverage, clothing and footwear, housing, energy, technology,
transportation, education, health and personal care, financial services and other utilities. Each of
these requires a different resource and once that resource is exploited to a certain point that qualifies
as overconsumption. Since the developing nations are rising quickly into the consumer class, it is
important to note the trends happening in these nations. According to the World Bank, the highest
shares of consumption lie in food and beverage and clothing and footwear. This applies regardless of
the sector of income.
The two main factors of why people buy so much and so often are― planned and perceived
obsolescence. This factor of production was introduced first in the United States and it revolves
around the design of products. With these methods, the products are intentionally designed to be
discarded after a short amount of time. As of 2012, only 1% of goods purchased were still in use
after 6 months. While planning, designers create products that will not be of use after a certain
amount of time but they work for enough time to ensure that the customers will come back to buy
that product again. Perceived obsolescence comes in a lot with fashion and trends and fueled by
advertising and media consumption. Through this technique, consumers are convinced that certain
products do not have value anymore because it is out of style, and to have value, consumers must
buy more up to date styles. As of 2015, the top five consumer markets in the world included the
United States, Japan, Germany, China and France.

OVERPOPULATION
In population dynamics and population ecology, overshoot occurs when a population temporarily
exceeds the long term carrying capacity of its environment. The environment usually has
mechanisms in place to prevent overshoot. For example, plants are only able to regenerate and re-
grow a few times after being consumed before completely dying off. The consequence of overshoot
is called a collapse, a crash or a die-off in which there is a decline in population density. The entire
sequence or trajectory undergone by the population and its environment together is often termed
'overshoot-and-collapse'.
Overshoot can occur due to lag effects. Reproduction rates may remain high relative to
the death rate. Entire ecosystems may be severely affected and sometimes reduced to less-
complex states due to prolonged overshoot. The eradication of disease can trigger overshoot when a
population suddenly exceeds the land's carrying capacity. An example of this occurred on the Horn
of Africa when smallpox was eliminated.
A region that had supported around 1 million pastoralists for centuries was suddenly expected
to support 14 million people. The result was overgrazing, which led to soil erosion.

EFFECTS OF OVERCONSUMPTION
A fundamental effect of overconsumption is a reduction in the planet's carrying capacity. Excessive

unsustainable consumption will exceed the long term carrying capacity of its environment
(ecological overshoot) and subsequent resource depletion, environmental degradation and
reduced ecosystem health.
Looking at the two largest sectors of over consumption, the fashion and food industries, we
can see most of the harmful effects on the Earth starting here. The fashion industry has created a new
venue, fast fashion, which in 2013 produced 15.1 million tons of textile waste and of that, 12.8
million tons were thrown out. The United States, being the largest consumer market, deals with
excess clothing by exporting it to poorer, developing nations but this solution is not sustainable
because the demand will go down as cheap clothing becomes more readily available. Another way of
disposal is to throw out into landfills or burn up in incinerators which are the least sustainable
disposal solution.
The food industry is the other largest sector of consumption and studies show that people
waste a fifth of food products just through disposal or overconsumption. The UN Food and

Agriculture Organization collected data and found that by the time food reaches the consumer, 9%
(160 million tons) goes uneaten and 10% is lost to overconsumption - meaning consumers ate more
than the calorie intake requirement. Other aspects of losses surrounding dry matter came at each
stage in the food system, the highest amount being from livestock production at 43.9%,
transportation accounted for 18% and consumer waste accounting for 12.2% loss. When the
consumer takes in too much, this not only explains losses at the beginning of the stage at production
(and overproduction) but also lends itself to overconsumption of energy and protein, having harmful
effects on the body.
The scale of modern life’s overconsumption has enabled an over class to exist displaying
influenza and obesity. However, once again both of these claims are controversial with the latter
being correlated to other factors more so than over-consumption. Within the topic of
overconsumption, many other ideas should be considered to find the true cause of it. Some important
events that coincide are poverty, population and the development of an area. Overconsumption can
also lead to a decline in the economy and financial instability.
In the long term, these effects can lead to increased conflict over dwindling resources and in the
worst case a Malthusian catastrophe. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, has said: "It would
take 1.5 Earths to sustain our present level of consumption. Environmentally, the world is in an
overshoot mode."
As of 2012, the United States alone was using 30% of the world’s resources and if everyone
were to consume at that rate, we would need 3-5 planets to sustain this type of living. Resources are
quickly becoming depleted, with about ⅓ already gone. With new consumer markets rising in the
developing countries which account for a much higher percentage of the world’s population, this
number can only rise. According to Sierra Club’s Dave Tilford, "With less than 5 percent of world
population, the U.S. uses one-third of the world’s paper, a quarter of the world’s oil, 23 percent of
the coal, 27 percent of the aluminum, and 19 percent of the copper." According to BBC, a World
Bank study has found that "Americans produce 16.5 tons of carbon dioxide per capita every year. By
comparison, only 0.1 ton of the greenhouse gas is generated in Ethiopia per inhabitant."

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
The ecological footprint measures human demand on nature, i.e., the quantity of nature it takes to
support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounting system. The
accounts contrast the biologically productive area people use for their consumption to the
biologically productive area available within a region or the world (bio-capacity, the productive area
that can regenerate what people demand from nature). In short, it is a measure of human impact on
Earth’s ecosystem and reveals the dependence of the human economy on nature.

Footprint and bio-capacity can be compared at the individual, regional, national or global
scale. Both footprint and bio-capacity change every year with number of people, per person
consumption, efficiency of production, and productivity of ecosystems. At a global scale, footprint
assessments show how big humanity's demand is compared to what planet Earth can renew. Since
2003, Global Footprint Network has calculated the ecological footprint from UN data sources for the
world as a whole and for over 200 nations (known as the National Footprint Accounts). Every year
the calculations are updated with the newest data. The time series are recalculated with every update
since UN statistics also change historical data sets. As shown in Lin et al. (2018) the time trends for
countries and the world have stayed consistent despite data updates. Global Footprint Network
estimates that, as of 2014, humanity has been using natural capital 1.7 times as fast as Earth can
renew it. This means humanity's ecological footprint corresponds to 1.7 planet Earths.
Ecological footprint analysis is widely used around the Earth in support

of sustainability assessments. It enables people to measure and manage the use of resources
throughout the economy and explore the sustainability of individual lifestyles, goods and services,
organizations, industry sectors, neighborhoods, cities, regions and nations.

EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY

Earth Overshoot Day (EOD), previously known as Ecological Debt Day (EDD), is the calculated
illustrative calendar date on which humanity's resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s
capacity to regenerate those resources that year. Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by Global
Footprint Network by dividing the world bio-capacity (the amount of natural resources generated by
Earth that year), by the world ecological footprint (humanity's consumption of Earth's natural
resources for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in one Gregorian common
calendar year:
(World Bio-capacity/World Ecological Footprint) * 365 = Earth Overshoot Day
When viewed through an economic perspective, EOD represents the day in which humanity enters
an ecological deficit spending. In ecology the term Earth Overshoot Day illustrates the level by
which human population overshoots its environment. In 2019, Earth Overshoot Day is on July 29.
Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by Global Footprint Network and is a campaign supported by
dozens of other nonprofit organizations.

WATER CONSUMPTION IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Water is used extensively throughout textile processing operations. Almost all dyes, specialty
chemicals, and finishing chemicals are applied to textile substrates from water baths. In addition,
most fabric preparation steps, including designing, scouring, bleaching, and mercerizing, use
aqueous systems. The amount of water used varies widely in the industry, depending on specific
processes operated at the mill, equipment used, and prevailing management philosophy concerning
water use. Textile operations vary greatly in water consumption. Figure below summarizes the water
consumption of various types of operations. Wool and felted fabrics processes are more water
intensive than other processing subcategories such as woven, knits, stock, and carpet.
Water use can vary widely between similar operations as well. For example, knit mills on an
average use 10 gallons of water per pound of production, yet water use ranger from low of 2.5
gallons to a high of 45.2 gallons. Textile industry is a leading consumer of water and it ranks among
top ten water consuming industries. Cotton fibres require the largest amount of water for its
preparation. In general, the water consumption in a process house is about three times the
consumption of all other units put together. The water consumption in the bleaching section is
highest.
Approximately 500 gallons of water is used in manufacturing just one pair of jeans. While the
textile industry uses massive amounts of water in the production of goods perhaps a larger problem is
resulting water pollution, particularly in the developing world. World fisheries are 60% fully
exploited and 30% over exploited. The number of dead zones has increased from 45 to 450 in the last
50 years.

GLOBAL OIL CONSUMPTION

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the world consumed 96.92 million
barrels per day in 2016, with the top 10 consumers accounting for 60 percent of the total
consumption. That’s nearly 100 million barrels per day. At today’s average oil price of $60 per barrel
for Brent crude, that’s $5.8 billion consumed every day. The top three oil consumers—the United
States (20%), China (13%), and India (5%) account for more than a third of the world’s
consumption. Of those three, only the United States is a major oil producer. Saudi Arabia and Russia,
who are two of the three top oil producers in the world, rank #5 and #6 when it comes to
consumption.

But that’s just the current daily average based on EIA data from 2016. Today, estimates are
that we are chewing through 100 million barrels per day or more. But that hasn’t always been the
case. According to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, consumption has been on a steep uphill
trajectory for decades, starting at about 40 million barrels per day consumed in 1969.
That’s the average daily rate. Annually, global consumption is even more impressive,
reaching 36.4 billion barrels consumed in 2018, according to BP. That’s $2.184 trillion worth of oil
consumption in a single year. In gallons, the world’s annual consumption is 1.134 trillion—roughly
half the amount of water found in Lake Michigan. Looking at the total consumption by decade,
consumption has increased from almost 200 billion barrels in the ‘70s to nearly 350 billion barrels
over the last decade. All told, from 1969 to 2018, a fifty-year span, the world has consumed 1.306
trillion barrels of oil.

GLOBAL FOREST CONSUMPTION

Increasing global demand for low-cost timber products supports a multi-billion dollar business of
illegal and unsustainable logging in forests worldwide. According to some estimates, logging in
violation of national laws accounts for 8-10% of global production and trade in forest products. It
also represents 40-50% of all logging in some of the most valuable and threatened forests on earth.
Consumption of tropical timber by the U.S. and other industrial countries plays a significant role in
tropical deforestation. Trade in forest products has increased significantly over the past 50 years,
especially in processed wood products such as sawn timber, pulpwood, board, and wood-based
panels. According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, wood-based panel
trade has skyrocketed 800 percent in the past three decades.
The world's natural forests cannot sustainably meet the soaring global demand for timber
products under current forest management practices. According to the Center for International
Forestry Research (CIFOR), approximately 24.7 million acres of fast-wood plantations—or
commercially planted forests— exist worldwide. Each year around 2.5 million acres of land is
converted to fast-wood forests.

While intensive production is essential to meet global demand and take pressure off of the
world’s forests, there can be significant negative impacts of these plantations. Some have been
created from the conversion of high conservation value natural forests, and some have resulted in
significant social and environmental impacts.
WWF believes that demand for responsible forest products in international trade can provide
enormous incentives for sustainable forest management. However, in the absence of appropriate
forest management policies, environmental and social safeguards, and responsible demand, trade can
negatively impact forest conservation.

STATE OF AIR
Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans,
animals, and plants. It also damages buildings. Pollutants in the air take many forms. They can be
gases, solid particles or liquid droplets. Pollution enters the Earth's atmosphere in many different
ways. Most air pollution is created by people, taking the form of emissions from factories, cars,
planes, or aerosol cans. Second-hand cigarette smoke is also considered air pollution. These man-
made sources of pollution are called anthropogenic sources. Some types of air pollution, such
as smoke from wildfires or ash from volcanoes, occur naturally. These are called natural sources.
Air pollution is most common in large cities where emissions from many different sources
are concentrated. Sometimes, mountains or tall buildings prevent air pollution from spreading out.
This air pollution often appears as a cloud making the air murky. It is called smog. The word “smog”
comes from combining the word “smoke” and “fog”.

Large cities in poor and developing nations tend to have more air pollution than cities in
developed nations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some of the world’s most
polluted cities are Karachi, Pakistan; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China; Lima, Peru; and Cairo,
Egypt. However, many developed nations also have air pollution problems. Los Angeles, California,
is nicknamed Smog City.
Studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest that even if human
beings cut carbon output levels by 50 percent, the Earth would still see a net increase in
atmospheric carbon dioxide over the next century due to the changes already in motion.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development is the organizing principle for meeting human development goals while
simultaneously sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources
and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend. The desired result is a state of
society where living conditions and resources are used to continue to meet human needs without
undermining the integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable development can be defined
as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations.
While the modern concept of sustainable development is derived mostly from the
1987 Brundtland Report, it is also rooted in earlier ideas about sustainable forest management and
twentieth century environmental concerns. As the concept developed, it has shifted towards focus
more on economic development, social development and environmental protection for future
generations. It has been suggested that "the term 'sustainability' should be viewed as humanity's
target goal of human-ecosystem equilibrium, while 'sustainable development' refers to the holistic
approach and temporal processes that lead us to the end point of sustainability". Modern economies
are endeavoring to reconcile ambitious economic development and obligations of preserving natural
resources and ecosystems, as the two are usually seen as of conflicting nature.

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 13: Climate Action
GOAL 14: Life below Water
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

SOLUTIONS
The most obvious solution to the issue of overconsumption is to simply slow the rate at which
materials are becoming depleted. From capitalistic point of view, less consumption has negative
effects on economies and so instead, countries must look to curb consumption rates but also allow
for new industries, such as renewable energy and recycling technologies, to flourish and deflect some
of the economic burdens. There are movements who think that reduction in consumption in some
cases can benefit economy and society. They think that a fundamental shift in the global economy
may be necessary to account for the current change that is taking place or that will need to take place.
Movements and lifestyle choices related to stopping overconsumption include:
 Adopting Circular Economy
 Practicing the policy of 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
 Optimizing Non-Conventional Energy Resources
 Anti-Consumerism
 Green economics
 Ecological economies
 Frugality
 Downshifting
 Simple living
 Minimalism
Recent grassroots movements have been coming up with creative ways to decrease the number of
goods we consume. The Free-cycle Network is a network of people in one's community that are
willing to trade goods for other goods or services.
Other researchers and movements such as the Zeitgeist Movement suggest a new
socioeconomic model which, through a structural increase of efficiency, collaboration and locality in
production as well as effective sharing, increased modularity, sustainability and optimal design of
products, are expected to reduce resource-consumption. Solutions offered include consumers using
market forces to influence businesses towards more sustainable manufacturing and products.

If rich nations free up ecological space by consuming less and only when necessary, poor nations
would finally be able to increase their consumption. The world should develop a universal plan to
reduce population to a level that can be sustainable in the long term. All in all, addressing the issues
of overconsumption and overpopulation is vital since for the sake of mankind, maintaining the status
quo is not an option anymore.

SWITCH TO CLEAN ENERGY
SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving
technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaic cells, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten
salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis.
It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are broadly characterized as
either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or
convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic
systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar
techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or
light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.
The large magnitude of solar energy available makes it a highly appealing source of electricity.
The United Nations Development Programme in its 2000 World Energy Assessment found that the
annual potential of solar energy was 1,575–49,837 EJ. This is several times larger than the
total world energy consumption, which was 559.8 EJ in 2012.

WIND ENERGY
Wind power or wind energy is the use of air flow through wind turbines to provide the mechanical
power to turn electric generators and traditionally to do other work, like milling or pumping. Wind
power is a sustainable and renewable alternative to burning fossil fuels, and has a much
smaller impact on the environment.
Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines, which are connected to the electric power
transmission network. Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electric power, competitive with or
in many places cheaper than coal or gas plants. Onshore wind farms also have an impact on the
landscape, as typically they need to be spread over more land than other power stations and need to
be built in wild and rural areas, which can lead to "industrialization of the countryside" and habitat
loss. Offshore wind is steadier and stronger than on land and offshore farms have less visual impact,
but construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher. Small onshore wind farms can feed
some energy into the grid or provide electric power to isolated off-grid locations.
Wind is an intermittent energy source, which cannot make electricity nor be dispatched on demand.
It also gives variable power, which is consistent from year to year but varies greatly over shorter
time scales. Therefore, it must be used together with other electric power sources or batteries to give
a reliable supply.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy
that determines the temperature of matter. The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from
the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials (in currently
uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions). The geothermal gradient, which is the difference
in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of
thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface.

ANTI-CONSUMERISM
Anti-consumerism is a sociopolitical ideology that is opposed to consumerism, the continual buying
and consuming of material possessions. Anti-consumerism is concerned with the private actions of
business corporations in pursuit of financial and economic goals at the expense of the public welfare,
especially in matters of environmental protection, social stratification, and ethics in the governing of
a society. In politics, anti-consumerism overlaps with environmental activism, anti-globalization,
and animal-rights activism; moreover, a conceptual variation of anti-consumerism is post-
consumerism, living in a material way that transcends consumerism.
Anti-consumerism arose in response to the problems caused by the long-term mistreatment of

human consumers and of the animals consumed, and from the incorporation of consumer
education to school curricula; examples of anti-consumerism are the book No Logo (2000) by Naomi
Klein, and documentary films such as The Corporation (2003), by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott,
and Surplus: Terrorized into Being Consumers (2003), by Erik Gandini; each made anti-corporate
activism popular as an ideologically accessible form of civil and political action.
The criticism of economic materialism as a dehumanizing behavior that is destructive of the

Earth, as human habitat, comes from religion and social activism. The religious criticism asserts that
materialist consumerism interferes with the connection between the individual and God, and so is an
inherently immoral style of life; thus the German historian Oswald Spengler (1880–1936) said that
"Life in America is exclusively economic in structure, and lacks depth." From the Roman Catholic
perspective, Thomas Aquinas said that "Greed is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much
as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things"; in that vein, Francis of
Assisi, Ammon Hennacy, and Mohandas Gandhi said that spiritual inspiration guided them
towards simple living. Anti-consumerism originated from criticism of consumption, starting
with Thorstein Veblen, who, in the book The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of
Institutions (1899), indicated that consumerism dates from the cradle of civilization. The
term consumerism also denotes economic policies associated with Keynesian economics, and the
belief that the free choice of consumers should dictate the economic structure of a society.

REDUCE, REUSE AND RECOVER
REDUCE: The best way to manage waste is to not produce it. This can be done by shopping
carefully and being aware of a few guidelines:
 Buy products in bulk. Larger, economy-size products or ones in concentrated form use less
packaging and usually cost less per ounce.
 Avoid over-packaged goods, especially ones packed with several materials such as foil,
paper, and plastic. They are difficult to recycle, plus you pay more for the package.
 Buy durable goods – ones that are well-built or that carry good warranties. They will last
longer, save money in the long run and save landfill space.
 At work, make two-sided copies whenever possible.

REUSE: It makes economic and environmental sense to reuse products. Sometimes it takes
creativity:
 Reuse products for the same purpose. Save paper and plastic bags, and repair broken
appliances, furniture and toys.
 Reuse products in different ways. Use a coffee can to pack a lunch; use plastic microwave
dinner trays as picnic dishes.
 Sell old clothes, appliances, toys, and furniture in garage sales or ads, or donate them to
charities.
 Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of paper cups.
RECOVER: Recycling is a series of steps that takes a used material and processes,
remanufactures, and sells it as a new product. Begin recycling at home and at work:
 Check collection centers and curbside pickup services to see what they accept, and begin
collecting those materials. These can include metal cans, newspapers, paper products,
glass, plastics and oil.
 Consider purchasing recycled materials at work when purchasing material for office supply,
office equipment or manufacturing.
 Speak to store managers and ask for products and packaging that help cut down on waste,
such as recycled products and products that are not over packaged.
 Buy products made from material that is collected for recycling in your community.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY
A circular economy (often referred to simply as "circularity") is an economic system aimed at
eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Circular systems employ reuse, sharing, repair,
refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a closed system, minimizing the use
of resource input and the creation of waste, pollution and emissions. The circular economy aims to
keep products, equipment and infrastructure in use for longer, thus improving the productivity of
resources. All 'waste' should become 'food' for another process: either a by-product or recovered
resource for another industrial process, or as regenerative resources for nature, e.g. compost. This
regenerative approach is in contrast to the traditional linear economy, which has a 'take, make,
dispose' model of production.
Proponents of the circular economy suggest that a sustainable world does not mean a drop in
the quality of life for consumers, and can be achieved without loss of revenue or extra costs for
manufacturers. The argument is that circular business models can be as profitable as linear models,
allowing us to keep enjoying similar products and services.

Intuitively, the circular economy would appear to be more sustainable than the current linear
economic system. Reducing the resources used, and the waste and leakage created, conserves
resources and helps to reduce environmental pollution. However, it is argued by some that these
assumptions are simplistic; that they disregard the complexity of existing systems and their potential
trade-offs. For example, the social dimension of sustainability seems to be only marginally addressed
in many publications on the circular economy. There are cases that might require different or
additional strategies, like purchasing new, more energy efficient equipment. By reviewing the
literature, a team of researchers from Cambridge and TU Delft could show that there are at least
eight different relationship types between sustainability and the circular economy.

BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS
Biodegradable and Compostable for a Zero Waste Solution
A biodegradable product that breaks down quickly is compostable. Compostable products are made
of organic materials that can decompose naturally. The resulting material is rich in minerals.
Compost is a natural plant growing medium that reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Biodegradable and compostable products help businesses and consumers protect the environment!
Corn and sugarcane based disposables can be used in place of traditional petroleum based
products. Using these products can decrease the amount of waste being sent to our landfills and will
help reach our goal of a zero waste future. Your customers and friends will appreciate the change.
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WORLD’S FIRST BIODEGRADABLE SHOE
OAT Shoes are the world’s first biodegradable shoes that bloom. Wear them just like any other shoe
and after you’ve worn them down, plant them into the ground. OAT Shoes will decompose into the
earth while a bouquet of wildflowers grows from your old sneakers. OAT Shoes were developed
from a desire to create products not only to look good and perform well. They should be a force for
positive change in the world.

CONCLUSION
Overconsumption is costing us the earth and human happiness. The numerous experimental and
theoretical studies from cognitive, social and neuronal sciences expose new and complex challenges
for the standard model of homo economics within the framework of consumption and
overconsumption in society. Analyzing the cyclical puzzle of needs, desires and consumption
decisions, the questions that keeps appearing is if the forces of the market really have the capacity to
reach the point when supply could actually satisfy demand. One type of response is the hedonist
solution that insists to solve the problem with the consumerism program and its code encrypted on an
infinite repeated mode. The other extreme reaction is the less liked stoic approach, proposing a
decrease of a demand to a level that would force an adaptation of the supply. This move is far from
being implemented with the rational help of equations and curves of demand and supply, and it bears
upon a very high degree of psychological transformation. We strongly believe that the insights
depicted by behavioural economics, both theoretical and experimental, are prolific indicators of the
chances of achieving a successful process at one point in time. The optimism is rooted in the
concrete results showing valid correlation between consumption, materialism, well-being and
happiness, enhancing some conclusions that we already know from popular wisdom: money neither
brings happiness nor supports it after a certain threshold. Moreover, the awareness wave of
behavioural implications lands over the intrinsic feeling that overconsumption society must be
experimented as a natural phenomenon. A realistic assessment of its true nature requires an
additional step of introspection and acceptation, usually giving birth to contradictory emotions
between the individual ego and the consumer ego: we spend more than we plan, we contract
unmanageable debts that we do not want to recognize and finally we ignore most of our moral
conflicts in relations with consumption processes. Our further research will attempt to operate at a
higher level of correlation between overconsumption of society and the development of behavioural
economics, departing from the particular case of the Romanian (still transitional) society.

REFERNECES
 Catton, William R. Jr. (1980). "Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change".
Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00818-9.
 Daily, Gretchen C.; Matson, Pamela A. (2008). "Ecosystem services: From theory to
implementation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (28)
 "Overpopulation and overconsumption". BMJ Retrieved 6 May 2018.
 Vidal, John. "World needs to stabilise population and cut consumption, says Royal
Society". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
 Effects of Over-Consumption and Increasing Populations. 26 September 2001. Retrieved on
19 June 2007
 "The Story of Stuff" – via www.youtube.com.
 William R. Catton, Jr. (1980). Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change.
University of Illinois Press.
 Optimum Population Trust (10 April 2012). "New index highlights most overpopulated
countries". Overshoot Index. Optimum Population Trust. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
 Investopedia – Non-Renewable resources
 Consumption and Use of Non-Renewable Mineral and Energy Raw Materials from an
Economic Geology Point of View Volker Steinbach 1 and Friedrich Wellmer 2
 "WWF: human consumption is outpacing earth's capacity". EurActiv.com. October 26, 2004.

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SEMINAR REPORT OVERCONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

OVERCONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Submitted for Partial Fulfillment of Award of

(ROLL NO: 1712240002)

Mr. R.S. KUSHWAHA Mr. ARUN SHARMA

SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES, LUCKNOW

DR.A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW

SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT i

SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT ii

SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT iii

SRMGPC LUCKNOW ME DEPARTMENT iv

A non-renewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by

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A fundamental effect of overconsumption is a reduction in the planet's carrying capacity. Excessive

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Ecological footprint analysis is widely used around the Earth in support

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EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY

(World Bio-capacity/World Ecological Footprint) * 365 = Earth Overshoot Day

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WATER CONSUMPTION IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

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GLOBAL OIL CONSUMPTION

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GLOBAL FOREST CONSUMPTION

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The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

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 Adopting Circular Economy

 Practicing the policy of 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

 Optimizing Non-Conventional Energy Resources

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SWITCH TO CLEAN ENERGY

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Anti-consumerism arose in response to the problems caused by the long-term mistreatment of

The criticism of economic materialism as a dehumanizing behavior that is destructive of the

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REDUCE, REUSE AND RECOVER

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