Growing up we’ve always been told that all actions have consequences, yet as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised that this is not a universal rule. Although in the everyday sense most of us have to deal with the outcomes of our actions, the same doesn’t apply when you look at the bigger picture. Governments and world leaders are at the epicentre of policy and making decisions for the rest of us, whether that be good or bad. When they make good decisions we all benefit, but when they make bad decisions it's only us that suffer.
For example, when recession hit in the UK, poverty rates went up with every 3 in 10 children living in poverty, while the rest of the country was affected by the cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, MPs were claiming Amazon Prime subscriptions as an expense, despite the fact that it was their poor decision making that led to the crisis right now. This practice in which we carry the burden of the government’s actions is not only far too common but also what enables the rich to stay rich and the poor to get poorer.
Unfortunately, the Western government’s addiction to shifting responsibility and consequences exceeds dumping it on its own citizens. The West is destroying developing nations through overconsumption, extracting resources and severe impacts on climate change.
According to Friends of the Earth, “people in rich countries consume up to 10 times more natural resources than those in the poorest countries.” Our overall lifestyles are less environmentally friendly, not to mention the unethical fossil fuel practices approved by our governments. As much as we are seeing some impacts of climate change, like warming temperatures and loss of biodiversity, developing nations are bearing the real brunt.
Climate change disproportionately impacts the developing world in comparison to the West. Dr. Klaus Hubacek who specailises in big data and GPS technology to track socioeconomic data, toxic pollution, and health results to prove that consumption patterns in some countries impact environmental conditions in others, stated that “excess consumption in wealthier countries is directly responsible for environmental degradation and poor health in other parts of the world.”
It would be unfair that we’re not experiencing any impacts of climate change because we certainly are. However, hotter summer days are nothing compared to continuous natural disasters like floods or wildfires.
At the root of climate change is the global issue of overconsumption and mass consumerism. By now it should be common knowledge that the West is at the very core of overconsumption, with a large majority of its resources and products being exported from developing nations. Just as you would expect this has a negative toll on those very nations. So not only are they being milked for all their unique resources, and left with the bare minimum, they then have to deal with the consequences of our overconsumption.
A prime example of this is the current silent genocide taking place in Congo. Due to the Western world’s constant need for lithium batteries, Congo is suffering. Lithium batteries are made from Cobalt, which is a natural resource that can be found in abundance in Congo, and it's what we use to make iPhones, vapes and other things that should be considered a luxury but for some reason are treated as a necessity. Due to this, we overconsume Cobalt, leading to slave-like working conditions for the Congolese people mining it. As a result of the Cobalt crisis, over 27 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, including children as young as 5.
It’s clear that while we overconsume and turn a blind eye to the destruction we cause, the rest of the world has to deal with the consequences.
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