CONSUMPTION OVERLOAD

Despite all the talk about global warming and the, frankly appalling, state of our environment, it seems as though we are still unable, even unwilling, to do anything about it.

I’ve come to this conclusion after reading a recent article from The New Statesman which portrays the British as the consumer junkies of Europe. Basically, it seems as though the life expectancy of any electric item in a British home is limited, to say the least, with people throwing away their cameras, mobile phones, computers or ipods left, right and centre.

As a result, toxic waste heaps are building up around the country, fuelling climate change by the minute, thanks to the British attitude (or non-attitude) towards recycling.

What the hell is wrong with us? Are we so consumed by the need to get the newest item of electronic equipment, so obsessed with gadgets and showing off that we are not giving a damn about the world we live in? Quite honestly, if we continue in this crazy quest for the most recent PC or digital camera we will soon have no world in which to use either.

It could be argued that part of the fault lies with the electronics industry and our capitalist world, which aims at selling as many of its products as possible, to as many consumers as possible. And on the whole, it is successful.

But it is easy to blame the industry. Each one of us is responsible for those heaps of methane-blasting, unused products heaping up in the British countryside, blasting out CO2. And as long as we don’t start a dramatic re-thinking process things won’t change.