Blog 2

Germany scored well in recent years on the expansion of renewable energy as well as climate protection. (United Nations 2011) The biggest variable relating to consumerism would be the increase in production of household appliances; cars, electronics, household appliances, computers, phones, etc. (United Nations 2011) Mass manufacturing is a problem that affects the environment and climate change due to the carbon emissions and waste produced from factories creating these products. (United Nations 2011) Most countries that have a high number of consumers are at a higher risk for destroying the environment because they manufacture more goods. In order to minimize this problem, the government should enforce “greener” policies.

Since the global population is increasing, the number of cars produce and households built will increase. This means there will be an increase in energy use leading to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. (United Nations 2019) According to The UN, "commercial and residential energy use is the second most rapidly growing area of global energy after transportation." (United Nations 2019)

There has also been an increase in organic farming in Germany, similar to most countries in the world, which can be detrimental to the environment. According to a study, organic farming takes up more land which means more deforestation. (Nield 2018) Since consumers are gradually gaining interested in a "healthier" lifestyle, there has been a rising demand for organic foods. This can be seen as both a positive and a negative, but with the advancing technology, farmers will likely come to an innovative solution to avoid further damage. 

Germany has teamed up with the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, “which is the ministry in charge of coordinating the development of a national CSR strategy.” (United Nations 2011) There are other ministries and federal groups Germany is working with to ensure they carry out these responsibilities. The National High-Tech Strategy and Master Plan on Environmental Technology was developed to start manufacturing innovative environmental technology such as electric cars. Another plan they have started to administer is the Integrated Energy and Climate Package which plans to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon dioxide through different incentives to change building designs and mobility in high traffic areas. Lastly, one other plan Germany has enforced is the Sustainability and Consumer Policy which includes educating consumers on information covering food, agriculture, and other related topics. (United Nations 2011)

Nield, D. (2018). New Paper Shows How Much Worse Organic Farming Can Be For The Climate. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/new-study-shows-how-organic-farming-takes-its-toll-on-the-environment

United Nations. (2011). THE TEN YEAR FRAMEWORK OF PROGRAMMES ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_pdfs/NationalReports/germany/scp.pdf

United Nations. (2020). Sustainable consumption and production. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/

Blog 1

         The twelfth sustainable development goal provided by the United Nations is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” (2019) This was created to minimize the waste output of people within a nation in hopes of protecting environmental resources and reducing waste. As of 2015, 12 tons of natural resources are required to satisfy a person’s need which has risen from 8.1 from 1990. (United Nations 2019) The material foot print per capita is highest in high-income countries sitting at 27 metric tons globally compared to low income countries with 2 metric tons. (United Nations 2019) In today’s world, there is almost always room to minimize consumption and reducing it should be a priority in every country, especially those that have high-income populations that can afford to buy their own products and dispose of them how they please. This topic affects climate change because of the disposal of said products and carbon dioxide emissions from factories that produce mass quantities for the mass number of consumers. (Ritchie, H., Roser, M. 2019) This will lead to an irreversible change in the environment to which us humans won’t be able to survive in.

         Currently, the country of Switzerland has efforts in order to alter the amount of consumption citizens and companies are contributing to the environment. They plan on enhancing these areas for the cost of “several million francs”; have e-waste partnerships, chemical leasing concepts, environmental credit lines, waste management and waste water treatment plants, organic farming, standards for commodities, and a rising awareness for the introduction of quality systems. (The Swiss Confederation 2019) They also currently have recycling programs and an improved style of creating goods. These will be monitored by said partnerships.

         Switzerland is one of many high-income countries that need to better this goal in order to prevent further damage to the environment. Since these high-income countries can afford to produce so much waste, they should be able to afford and alternate way to dispose of them or to end this waste pile up. Fortunately, there are nearly a hundred countries adopting these newly adopted policies and measures to promote this change.

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2017, May 11). CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

         

The Swiss Confederation. (2019). Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_pdfs/NationalReports/switzerland/scp.pdf

United Nations. (2019). Goal 12: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg12