Environment

Consumption

Around 30% of the average European footprint comes from the field of consumption. Above all, this includes high usage of goods and services. The establishment and maintenance of roads, hospitals, the military, schools, etc. for the population of a country is the sum allocated to individuals as the "grey footprint". In Europe this grey footprint is already as large as every person should use as a maximum, namely 1.8 hectares. The reduction of this share is only possible through cooperative measures from politicians, business and society.

As the film „The story of stuff“ has already shown, our economy is not ecologically sustainable. Constant growth, maximising profits and the patterns of consumption of our society lead to the large-scale use of natural resources, energy and plant resources. Indeed, along with the growing global hunger for raw materials and energy there is also another problem.

Along with the global increase in waste, the amount of waste transportation is also increasing. Much of what we no longer need and whose treatment is seen as environmentally harmful or unprofitable is sent to Eastern Europe, Africa or Asia. The consequence of this is that entire regions there have specialised in the recycling of electronic waste or the dismantling and scrapping of ships. However, the products are increasingly made from materials which are not bio-degradable and often poisonous (eg. Cadmium, Lead and Mercury). In addition to the health risk to workers these toxic substances also contaminate air, soil and groundwater. A very powerful symbol of our throwaway culture is also the so-called "Plastic Islands", which now occupy large areas of our oceans.

Watch the following video to learn more about the plastic islands and afterwards, answer the questions on the film:

• How does all that plastic arrive in the sea?
• Which consequences does the plastic have for the sea?
• What problems are outlined in terms of dealing with this plastic waste?

Film: Boote, Werner (2009): "Plastic Planet". Ismaning: Euro Video (with English subtitles)

Sources

http://www.footprintrechner.at/footprint/info
http://www.naturefund.de/erde/atlas_der_welt/bedrohte_umwelt/der_muell_und_seine_verwertung.html
Mester, Gerhard/ Plaßmann, Thomas/ Sakurai, Heiko/ Schot van der, Bas/ Hax-Schoppenhorst, Thomas (1999): Der Globus quietscht und eiert. Globale Politik an der Schwelle zum dritten Jahrtausend. Misereor: Aachen