Consumerism has led to

Destruction of Natural Resources

in an Unethical Ways

Name- Rajesh KumarRoll no.- APG2562114409Competency – E

Date: 22.06.2016Place: New Delhi

Presentation for the post of Assistant Professor2nd Round of recruitment (Advt. 21/2014-ESTT.)National Institute of Fashion Technology

What are Natural Resources?

● Anything that people can use and which comes from nature

● Basis of life on earth● People do not make them, but gather them either from

the mother earth or the environment surrounding us ● Examples: Air, Water, Wood, Minerals, Coal, Vegetables,

Food grains, Fruits, Meat etc.● Natural fibres from plants and animals

• Cotton from the cotton plant.• Linen from the flax plant.• Wool from sheep.• Silk from silkworms.

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Types of Natural Resources

● Renewable resources○ renews itself at a rate faster, or equal to

the rate of consumption○ can be used again and again e.g.

sunlight, water, wind, soil○ for some renewal takes considerable

time!! e.g. wood, paper, fibre, fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, animal-meat

● Non-renewable resources○ once used cannot be used again ○ use and consumption at a faster rate

than nature produces them ○ it takes very long time to regain

(centuries or millions of year) e.g. coal, metals and minerals, crude oil, natural gas, uranium

● Biotic resources○ comes from living

and organic materials

○ plants and animals ○ coal and petroleum

● Abiotic resources ○ comes from

non-living and non-organic materials

○ land, air, sunlight, water, metal

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Depletion of Natural Resources

● Our resources are getting depleted or consumed at a faster rate than they are produced or renewed by nature.

○ Basic needs

○ Social Status

○ Greed

○ Knowledge

○ Technical Abilities

○ Utilisation

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Causes of Depletion

● Overuse/irrational use (forests, water, land, soil, fuel)

● Non-equitable distribution of resources

● Technological and industrial development

○ Rising need for various raw materials

○ Increasing demand for energy

● Overpopulation

○ Food security

○ Clothing security

○ Shelter security

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Activities Causing Degradation of Resources

● Physical, chemical, biological and ethical aspects of

degradation

○ Chemical fertilizers/pesticides

○ Mining

○ Industrialisation

○ Energy generation

○ Automobiles

○ Urbanisation

○ Deforestation

○ Deterioration of hydrological

resources

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Impact of Depletion of Resources

● Imbalance in nature

○ decreased rainfall

○ increased temperature

○ species extinction

● Shortage of raw materials

○ exhaustion of ground water

○ carrying capacity

○ deforestation

● Struggle for existence

○ human human conflict

○ man animal conflict

○ habitat disturbance and

destruction

● Slackening of economic growth○ population pressure

○ domestic use and export

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Consumerism

● Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition:○ the promotion of the consumer’s interests ○ the theory that says an increasing consumption of goods is

economically desirable ○ a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of

consumer goods

● The rate of consumption of natural resources is ever increasing today and people often wish to increase their buying-spending capacity

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How do we Consume?

● Direct consumption○ forest for food, biomass, health, recreation and increased living

comfort● Indirect consumption○ forests act as climate control, flood control, storm protection

and nutrient cycling● As raw materials○ forest to timber to wood to furniture ○ forest to timber to wood to pulp to paper to paper products

● Every item made from a raw material obtained from nature ○ tea cup, bread, clothes, chair○ electricity at home etc.

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What is Consumer Ethics?

● Consumer is any person who buys and utilizes goods and services.

● Ethics is the set of moral principles, standards that determine what is right and what is wrong, good or evil, helpful or harmful, acceptable or unacceptable.

● Ethics is concerned with any situation where there is actual or potential harm to any individual or group from a particular course of action. It is a guiding philosophy.

● Consumer ethics thus deals with the practice of buying goods and services produced in a way that minimises social and environmental damage, while avoiding products and services which poses a negative impact on the society and environment.

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Ethical Perspectives

● Utilitarian○ greatest good for the greatest

number ○ opposed to the concerns of a

single individual or enterprise

● Justice and fairness○ impartiality and fairness are

the criteria for ethical decision making

○ benefits and burdens of society must be distributed fairly among all

○ differential treatment for clear and defensible reasons only

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● Maxim of responsiveness and resilience○ act as per the demands and

challenges from the external as well as internal environment

● Theory of personal rights○ individuals have rights ensuring

their dignity, respect and autonomy

○ rights enable the individual to choose freely whether to pursue certain interests or activities

○ freedom and protection of choices

Justifiable actions

● The action which can be shown to be or can be defended as being just, right and reasonable in a given situation○ An action is morally justifiable if and only if a person’s rationale for carrying

out that action in a given situation is one that person would be willing to have everyone else use in a similar situation.

○ Action should be without any biasness.

● Ethical dilemma is a conflict in which one has to choose between two or more actions and have moral reasons for choosing each

• Decision making agent• Choice among different course of action• There is no perfect solution (compromise)

○ Ethics and professional responsibility○ Economic prosperity vs. ecological responsibility○ Cost vs. Benefit

• irrespective of the costs, if life is endangered, those costs should be incurred

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Effects of Consumerism

● Habitat destruction○ for shelter, highways, shopping mall, hospital, mines, industrial

units, power plants, agriculture farm, livestock rearing etc ○ poses threat to the survival of the natural resources that relied on

that habitat● Environmental Degradation○ ability of the planet to sustain life is getting compromised ○ increasing pollution levels○ receding ground water levels○ soil erosion leading to desertification○ global warming ○ species extinction

● Requirement of excessive input energy and raw materials● Generation of larger quantities of waste by products

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Ethical and Environmental Issues

● Issue related to food○ Diversion of fertile land into

infrastructural purposes reduces vast agricultural areas and deplete the production of food

● Toxic chemical issue○ use of fertilizers/pesticides causes

pollution which are harmful to plants, animals and human beings

○ Environmental dumping to developing or poor countries

● Issue on energy○ excessive use of fossil fuel for

transportation/industrial purposes○ pollutes environment resulting into

global warming

● Issue on the destruction of natural habitats○ disturbances leads to migration and

extinction of plants and animals

● Deforestation issue○ trees are being cut without planting

new tree as replacement○ trees prevent soil erosion, flood and

storm

● Issue related to livelihood of indigenous people○ forest areas being mined○ sacred groves being destroyed○ Without adequate provision of

rehabilitation and development

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Examples…

● Coca-cola case○ Kala dera agro-based village near

Jaipur city (2004)○ Excessive ground water extraction○ Consuming nine litre clean water/litre

of coke○ Acute water shortage in summer

season○ Suspended manufacturing in February

2016

● Narmada Bachao Abhiyan○ Series of dams over Narmada river○ For electricity, irrigation and drinking

water○ Involuntary displacement of

individuals○ Considerable ecosystem damage –

plant and animal○ Narmada dispute water tribunal set up○ Compensation to legal land owners

only○ NBA, Medha Patkar, 1989

15● Kodaikanal Mercury Poisoning

○ Hindustan Unilever’s clinical thermometer factory

○ Raw mercury were imported from USA and finished thermometer were sent to markets of Europe and USA.

○ Workers exposed to toxic mercury vapour during work at site

○ Mercury contaminated glass sold to scrap dealers, contaminated waste disposed in open forests

○ Ailments among workers such as brain, kidney and liver damage

○ Tamilnadu PCB shuts down factory in 2001

○ Litigation continues in court, victims yet to be compensated

Examples…16

● SAVE: Vulture Project○ Saving Asia’s Vulture from Extinction○ 15 yrs ago there were millions of

vultures but now almost disappeared○ Kidney failure due to veterinary drug

diclofenac, banned in India since 2006○ Diclofenac reduces joint pain and keep

animals work for long○ Without vultures- feral dogs moves to

carcasses dumps- rabies, sky burial can’t be carried out, food chain disrupts

● Kerala’s Endosulphan Tragedy○ Aerial spraying on cashew plantation

as pesticide in Kasargod district○ Cancer, birth defects, jaundice,

depression, hearing loss ○ Destroyed biodiversity of the region○ Banned in Kerala since 2001

● Tamilnadu coast overfishing○ Mechanized overfishing by trawlers○ Fish resources are on the verge of

extinction○ Traditional fishermen live in misery

often forced to enter Sri Lankan waters

○ Eutrophication and shrinkage of Dal lake, Srinagar○ Original area 22 sq.km. now 18 sq.km.

due to sediment deposition○ Water quality degraded due to

untreated sewage and solid waste○ Peripheral settlements and tourist

activities adds to pollution problem○ Extensive weed growth is disturbing

biodiversity of the lake.

More Examples

● Soil salinity problem in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan due to excessive irrigation

● Deforestation leading to deserts in Rajasthan and Gujarat● Himalayan Tsunami of 2013 in Uttarakhand due to unscientific

construction of roads, buildings, hotels and resorts along with nature induced factors

● Falling number of Gangetic dolphin○ Due to use of nylon nets by fishermen○ Reduced water flow along with barrages make them isolated and vulnerable○ Pollution caused by untreated industrial wastes

● Stubble burning of crop in northwest India causes air pollution○ Done as it quickly clears the field○ Kills weeds and pests

● Uranium poisoning in Punjab ○ caused by fly ash ponds of thermal power stations○ lead to severe birth defects among children

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Solution Lies in Sustainable Practices

● What does sustainable use mean?○ Economic, industrial and social needs are managed in such a way

that the biodiversity, balance in the ecosystem, and the biological cycles like carbon, nitrogen and water cycle are not destroyed.

○ individuals to organizations, industries to governments, must act collaboratively at each level

● At Individual level○ Use only what is

required○ Minimize waste ○ Help replenishing

the resource like by planting trees, harvesting rain water etc.

● At organizational or industrial level○ Increasing efficiency○ Using the least amount

of non-renewable resources

○ Limiting waste material and energy at production level

○ Using alternative raw material or resources

● At government level○ formulation and

monitoring of laws, policies and programs favouring sustainable practices

○ education and awareness generation among people about controlled use of natural resources

○ Rewarding industries engaged in sustainable practices

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Legislative Provisions

● Article 48(A) of Part IV of the Constitution says ○ “The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard

the forests and wildlife of the country.”

● Article 51 A(g) imposed additional environmental mandates on the Indian state in the form of fundamental duty

● Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 – CPCB/SPCB

● Forest (Conservation) Act 1980

● Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981

● Environment (Protection) Act 1986

● Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules 2000

● The Ministry of Environment and Forests created in 1985 for regulating and ensuring environmental protection

● The Scheduled Tribes And Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act 2006

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Consumer Education and their Duties

● Duties and responsibilities towards natural resources○ Discourage use of plastic carry bags○ Keep surrounding clean by using dustbins for waste○ Car pooling○ Plant more trees○ Judicious use of products

● Sharing and trusteeship promotion in the society● Improving the quality of customer contact● Awareness about grievance redressal mechanisms● Providing customer education● Buy for need not for greed

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Consumer Rights

● Right to safety ○ protection against products and services that are hazardous to health and life

● Right to be informed ○ protection against fraudulent, misleading information, advertising, labeling, or other practices○ make available the facts that helps make an informed choice

● Right to choose ○ assured access, to a variety of products and services at competitive prices○ where competition is not workable, government regulates to ensure satisfactory quality and

service at fair prices

● Right to be heard ○ consumer’s interests must be protected ○ full and sympathetic consideration in the formulation of Government policy○ grievance redressal mechanisms

● Right to enjoy a clean and healthful environment● Right of the poor and other minorities

○ Children, Elderly people, Women, SC/ST, BPL strata, Forest dwellers

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Enhanced Focus should be on …

○ Organic farming○ Joint forest management practices○ Ethical food and drink○ Green home○ Ethical personal products○ Ethical finance○ Expenditure on ethical goods and service○ Green Manufacturing○ Efficient and green production technology○ Ethical packaging○ Eco-travel and transport ○ Emphasis on ethical sales and marketing

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Thank You