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I my opinion consumerism affects the quality of life on our planet.

The huge rise in resource consumption in wealthier countries has led to an ever - widening gap between the rich and the poor. As the age old saying goes,” the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

Our consumption of goods obviously is a function of our culture. Only by producing and selling things and services does capitalism in its present form work, and the more that is purchased the more we have progress and prosperity produced by a given society.

However, the production, processing, and consumption, of commodities requires the extraction and use of natural resources (wood, ore, fossil fuels, and water); and this requires the creation of factories whose operation creates toxic products, while the use of commodities themselves creates pollutants and waste. This is destructive, in the long run, to the environment.

And it is a contributing factor to poverty around the world.

There must be a third way to distribute wealth more equally and save our environment at the same time.