What exactly is a sustainable lifestyle? Many consider it as a way of living without affecting the environment in any way, and contributing to maintaining the ecological balance of the earth by preserving its natural resources. Why has this sustainability become such an important part of our lives today? And why are more individuals adopting this lifestyle? Here’s a brief explanation why.
Dangerously high pollution levels
It is no surprise to note that most of the cities around the world have already reached dangerously high pollution levels, with facemasks a necessity in more than one of these cities. Everything from the emissions released by vehicles, factories, businesses, landfills and even electronic appliances to the hair and skin care products we use on a daily basis tend to contribute to environmental pollution.
Modern farming practices also degrade the environment in addition to producing substandard food that is unhealthy and highly toxic as well, leading to several health related ailments in the long run. And that is only the tip of the iceberg if you take into account more serious matters like global warming. All these concerns have led to individuals adopting greener lifestyles in order to decrease their carbon footprint to an extent and bring pollution levels down.
Depleting natural resources
Earth’s natural resources are limited, and are fast running out due to extensive exploitation. Increased development and technological advancements have in turn increased the demand for more material goods which in turn contribute to the increased consumption of these natural resources.
Coal mines are running out of coal as more energy is required for powering newer cities while more and more trees continue to be cut down in order to meet the demand for more paper. Other natural resources like oil and fuel are also facing depletion levels while minerals like Tanzanite have already been mined to the point of extinction. Farming practices have become more intense to feed the ever hungry population while over fishing has led to decreasing fish population in the rivers and oceans.
All these would naturally have adverse effects on the environment, instigating high pollution levels that cannot be checked and creating a vicious cycle of climate change and global warming that cannot be stopped. Many have started understanding the fact that current lifestyle habits would make earth an inhabitable place in the near future, and hence, are opting to change to a more sustainable way of life.
High energy utilization
The amount of energy we utilize has increased dramatically over the past few years. Not to mention, the amount of energy we waste as well. Demand for more energy would in turn force power plants to work overtime and consume more natural resources, thus leading to the cycle mentioned above. Hence, until effective measures to harness new, infinite and green sources of energy are put into place, it is imperative that we learn to live with and conserve available energy resources.
Alarming levels of consumption and waste production
The change in lifestyle has urged many of us to increase our consumption levels on more than one front. This in turn has led to more demand being placed on natural resources, which are over utilized to meet our ever-increasing needs. Waste production has also increased substantially over the years as more and more items end up in landfills across the world.
Most of these items take years to decompose, thereby emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere whenever burnt. And this would naturally create an environment that is both unstable and unhealthy for life to thrive in. In order to avoid this unpleasant scenario, one would need to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle, which would follow the principles of reduced consumption and wastage.
Ecological imbalance and its fatal impact on future generations
Our current lifestyle habits and demands have created a big upset in the earth’s ecological balance. As the most superior species, we fail to realize that earth is home to more than millions of other plants and animals too. Our increased personal and societal demands have rid the other species of their homes and lives on more than one occasion.
Take into account activities like deforestation, overfishing and intense farming, etc. that have stripped the earth of its natural resources, habitats, plants and wildlife. All these activities have led to a less than ideal environment for us as well as other living organisms to survive in, with the condition potentially worsening over time. Only a sustainable lifestyle would help us thwart this and maintain an eco-system that is harmonious enough for all organisms to co-exist.
Summary
The result of our changed lifestyles has impacted the environment we live in to a great extent. Only a sustainable lifestyle would help avert these potential dangers and help us create a greener, sustainable earth for future generations.
