A Historical Perspective on Abundance

At the heart of the issue lies food. Prior to World War II, chronic malnutrition was common, and society revolved around the persistent struggle to secure enough to eat.

Since that time, significant productivity advancements, facilitated by free-market dynamics, have led to what is known as ‘The Great Acceleration’ in economic growth.

The agricultural sector exemplifies this transformation. A recent report from McKinsey illustrates that technological progress has greatly enhanced the efficiency of farming equipment, enabling the cultivation of larger areas of land. Improvements in seeds, irrigation, and fertilizers have also contributed to increased yields.

Data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) shows that from 1961 to 2022, production of key grains has surged by an average of 267 percent. For instance, maize output rose from approximately 205 million tonnes in 1961 to over 1.1 billion in 2022.

These advances have shifted the world from scarcity to abundance.

In times of scarcity, families in the UK and France devoted 50 to 75 percent of their incomes to food well into the 19th century. In a world of abundance, food prices have dramatically decreased. For example, in 2016, food expenditures as a percentage of wages were 4.9 percent in the UK and only 2.3 percent in Switzerland. While disparities remain, food now constitutes a smaller share of overall income.

Consequently, a global epidemic of malnutrition has been supplanted by one of obesity, with more individuals now classified as obese than underweight. In the United States, one in three adults is considered obese.

A Shift in Values

In Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren, John Maynard Keynes posited that solving the economic dilemma would strip humanity of its traditional purpose, which has now transformed into a culture of consumption.

In a society marked by scarcity, life was characterized by a shared struggle to meet fundamental needs. Historically, over 90 percent of human existence has been spent within egalitarian communities, where food sharing and reciprocal exchanges fostered social bonds.

Today, measures of success revolve around wealth accumulation. In The High Price of Materialism, psychologist Tim Kasser asserts that societal value is now determined by material possessions rather than qualities like wisdom or kindness.

Previously, personal identity was tied to community connections. In contrast, contemporary society often equates self-worth with financial status and ownership of possessions, leading individuals to pursue not merely 'enough' but rather more than their peers.

In times of scarcity, the relentless quest for basic necessities was arduous and unfulfilling. It is unsurprising that higher income levels correlate with increased happiness. Yet, after reaching a threshold of basic needs, further income gains yield diminishing returns in well-being.

Despite evidence suggesting the opposite, the prevailing economic model relies on the belief that higher incomes equate to greater happiness. This misalignment raises critical questions about our economic structure. The true peril arises from the unsustainable consequences of development and rising living standards.

Consequences of Consumerism

The production of goods required to sustain consumer culture necessitates vast amounts of natural resources and energy. Approximately 80 percent of global energy is derived from fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—which have underpinned our modern civilization.

The combustion of these fuels releases not only usable energy but also carbon dioxide, exacerbating climate change.

In How Bad Are Bananas?, Mike Berners-Lee quantifies the carbon emissions associated with everyday purchases and activities, illustrating the link between consumption and ecological impact. The more we consume, the more energy-intensive our lifestyles become, resulting in larger carbon footprints. Wealthier individuals and nations disproportionately contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

A growing consumer base necessitates increased production, which drives economic growth and has expanded the global economy to an unsustainable scale. We now find ourselves in a state of ecological overshoot.

Earth Overshoot Day, which marks when humanity's resource consumption surpasses the planet's ability to regenerate those resources, fell on August 2 in 2023. However, this date obscures the varying levels of consumption across different countries.

The visual representation of consumption indicates that if everyone lived like individuals in Indonesia, Earth Overshoot Day would occur on November 24. Conversely, if everyone lived like those in Qatar, we would exceed the Earth's carrying capacity by February 11—a shocking reality.

The stark contrast in consumption patterns reveals a significant imbalance in resource use, with some nations consuming excessively while others struggle to meet basic needs. The richest 10 percent have been responsible for over half of global carbon emissions since 1990, consuming 20 times more energy than the poorest 10 percent.

Many developing nations are not represented in these statistics, not due to sustainable practices, but because basic needs remain unmet for many individuals.

The projected growth of the global middle class to 5.3 billion by 2030 is cause for celebration from a social development perspective. However, this growth will lead to increased consumption and heightened environmental dependency.

While greater disposable income is beneficial for social development, it exacerbates ecological overshoot, suggesting a fundamental incompatibility between development and sustainability.

A Return to Simplicity

George Carlin famously remarked, “we buy stuff we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.” This consumerism is rooted in abundance.

Our current behaviors yield little meaningful fulfillment, yet we exhaust ourselves in pursuit of them. This quest for social validation fails to bring happiness, while simultaneously eroding the environmental foundations necessary for our existence.

Technological advancements have bred a sense of control, but this has clouded our perspective. The possessions we accumulate have begun to dominate our lives, without enhancing our happiness—a profoundly tragic reality.

As we confront these risks, it’s not far-fetched to envision a future where we rely on the seed vault to preserve our species. It may only be in times of widespread hunger that we come to truly value what is essential.

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