LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS TO

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

To save the environment from further depletion, one should consider “living within their
means”. More so, an individual is to live by or adjust their lifestyle to what they earn and to
what resources are available. However, to apply this to a country’s economy, the “means” is
often seen as how healthy the economy and its resource base is. Often, the "means” dictate
the “living” thus it is coming to an extent where a huge appetite of mass consumerism is
developed at the expense of the environment, pushing planetary boundaries. Therefore, it is
critical to “Live within our means to preserve the environment by changing the way we
live, maximising on resources and review traditional ways that instigate economic growth
which also, in turn, waste resources”.
Firstly, human beings should seriously consider a change in lifestyle to give a chance for the
planet to heal. It is necessary to save the earth and produce longevity for the planet’s
depleting and scarce resources. Current lifestyles globally and its “mass consumerism” result
in the overuse of resources and procurement of man-made machines that not only deplete the
planet’s resources but also contribute to global warming. For example, the expense of global
lifestyle use of energy is about 8% of GDP and is responsible for 40% of gas emissions. It is
a no brainer to switch to low carbon energy to delay climate change. China has put in place
policies, penalties and rewards to kerb energy use by the largest 1000 companies. This
decreased CO2 emissions by 265m tonnes. Phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies is also an
option. Igniting clean energy development and economic growth. [CITATION Man12 \l 1033 ]
Therefore, a country should reconsider lifestyle changes to force the industries to change the
trend in the use of fossil subsidies and look into greener options to decrease carbon emissions
and further instigate growth within the economy by these means.
Secondly, the planet could also benefit from maximising the use of the earth’s resources by
reviewing current lifestyle practices that emit larger harmful by-products. Deforestation, land
claiming by burning to give way for agricultural works and many more have contributed to
greenhouse emissions globally. Forestry practices contribute to 12% of Greenhouse gas
emissions. Economy reliant practices produce alarming numbers that will have our earth
grasping for life. Academics have also warned that if the human race does not act now, this
may spell the end for the next generation or worst yet, this. However, Niger is making waves
in procuring better options by restoring degraded land. In addition to this, tenure of trees and
its regeneration programme benefitting 4.5m Nigerians along with food stock increase and
income. [CITATION Man12 \l 1033 ]. A vast amount of land is left unused in all nations after it
has been used to remedy mass-consumerism across the globe. Therefore, rather than
practicing earth damaging practices, it would be wise to adopt such methods portrayed by
Niger to maximise resources rather than meeting the huge appetites of current lifestyles at the
expense of the producer, earth.
Thirdly, individuals and economies as a whole should begin to review traditional ways that
instigate growth to a “regenerate and restore” system. People along with economies practice
archaic means of producing growth, no matter the state of an economy’s natural resource
base is. The economy & people have become degenerative, rapidly destabilising the planet.
Countries, in their plight to gain growth economically, overshoot the planetary boundaries.
However, human needs due to current lifestyles cannot let collective use of earth’s resources
overstep the ecological boundaries. Despite this, economies can adopt methods that do not
push through the ecological ceiling and at the same time maintain economic growth. For
example, countries can begin to design economies and lead people to be regenerative. Use
resources and then regenerate or restore to reproduce more resources [ CITATION Kat18 \l 1033 ].
As the sun’s waste is its sunlight, harness this waste to produce energy. Therefore with the
right policies, quality of living standards are maintained and increased, simultaneously
fighting global warming at the same time [CITATION Joh19 \l 1033 ].
To sum up, the earth as we know it is in dire need to be saved from us humans. Necessary
adjustments are to be made to bring back balance that to our needs and the planet’s well-
being. This would require overdue action to achieve this and that is to live within the planet’s
boundaries. Therefore it is an absolute necessity to seriously consider a change in the way we
go about living on this great earth to even give a chance for the planet to heal, review and
change current irrelevant practices that emit larger harmful by-products that are poisonous to
the planet and reimagine and review traditional ways that will instigate growth globally. Time
is limited, earth’s resources are depleting and it is now or never.

END
(806 Words)
References
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green-growth. Retrieved from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jan/06/economy-environment-green-
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Raworth, K. (2018, April). talks - A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow.
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