buddenblog

Costs of consumption

In this country, we live with the assumption that we must have continuous growth and that consumption to produce that growth is good and very, very necessary.  In fact we define ourselves by what we consume and how much money we have to consume with. 

I still remember visiting Washington D.C. as a thirteen year old in the 1950s with my class and being talked to by someone in some department who revealed to us the concept of  planned obsolescence, which meant it was not only acceptable but necessary and official economic policy that stuff be manufactured with its falling-apart aspect built in to guarantee that people would not only want, but need to buy new stuff and thus keep the economy growing.  We were shocked at the idea:  after all, our parents were the Depression generation and one of their favorite mottoes was, "Waste not, want not."  We laughed uproariously at what this idea of endless consumtion and its consequent growth could mean:  we imagined ourselves surrounded by junk , by acres and acres of land and even special buildings that would have to be built to hold the junk, by the giant caverns and pits resulting from the need to dig up material to make the stuff, by endless power plants needed to provide energy to make the junk, and so on and so on.   

We need to break away from the paradigm that shapes  societies so that they are supported by economies based on endless growth.  One of my favorite websites, run by a single person, I think, has a particularly useful section on problems of consumption and consumerism.  Check it out:  www.globalissues.org.  Below is a list of questions about consumption taken from this site.

From www.global issues.org:

We consume a variety of resources and products today having moved beyond basic needs to include luxury items and technological innovations to try to improve efficiency. Such consumption beyond minimal and basic needs is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, as throughout history we have always sought to find ways to make our lives a bit easier to live. However, increasingly, there are important issues around consumerism that need to be understood. For example:

• How are the products and resources we consume actually produced?
• What are the impacts of that process of production on the environment, society, on individuals?
• What are the impacts of certain forms of consumption on the environment, on society, on individuals?
• Which actors influence our choices of consumption?
• Which actors influence how and why things are produced or not?
• What is a necessity and what is a luxury?
• How do demands on items affect the requirements placed upon the environment?
• How do consumption habits change as societies change?
• Businesses and advertising are major engines in promoting the consumption of products so that they may survive. How much of what we consume is influenced by their needs versus our needs?
• Also influential is the very culture of today in many countries, as well as the media and the political institutions themselves. What is the impact on poorer nations and people on the demands of the wealthier nations and people that are able to afford to consume more?
• How do material values influence our relationships with other people?
• What impact does that have on our personal values?
• And so on.

Muckraking Sites: Guides to Responsible Shopping and more

The sites listed below are from Sojourners Magazine.   I will list them in a typelist  called "Muckrakers" as I have a chance to review them.  There is tons of  information online for looking into corporate practices. 

www.coopamerica.org
www.sweatshops.org
www.stopcorporateabuse.org
www.business-ethics.org
www.adbusters.org
www.corpwatch.org
www.prwatch.org
www.multinationalmonitor.org
www.corporate policy.org
www.newdream.org/consumer/marketplace.php
globalexchange.org
ifat.org
lccr.org
fairtradefederation.org
transfairusa.org

Response to Pipeline article

You'll notice there is a comment in response to the Pipeline article.  I would appreciate comments with further information and cites on this topic.

Oil from the Chad-Cameroon pipeline

From Sojourners Magazine, www.sojo.net
African oil: There is hell to pay
by Edith Abilogo and Christi Boyd-van Overbeeke
In June 2004, the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline began to move crude oil from the fields of Doba to the Cameroonian coast of Kribi. An international consortium formed by Exxon Mobil (40%), Chevron (25%), and the Malaysian oil company Petronas (35%) built the pipeline of 1,070 km (about 700 miles) from southern Chad to the Atlantic coast. Like an elephant crushing everything in its path, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline has left destitution and desolation.

Before construction, few anticipated the problems that would later surface: people living near the pipeline's course sustained losses but were left without compensation; cultural goods were desecrated and reduced to dust.

Among the worst problems is that the environment has been destroyed and biodiversity irreparably lost. The oil pipeline crosses important rivers and precious tropical rain forests. As it was built near protected areas and fragile forest ecosystems, it has brought in its wake uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources, threatening Cameroon's long-term development. For example, during the construction phase of the pipe, a road was built close to the nature reserve in Deng Deng. Now the forests in this protected area are suffering an upsurge in poaching.

An underwater pipe of more than seven miles connects the Port of Kribi with an export terminal located in the open ocean. This offshore terminal poses a risk for the ecological biodiversity of the coastal region, where the population lives primarily off of traditional fishing and tourism. A single oil spill would destroy the region's economy and wipe out Cameroon's gains from this project. Fishermen have already confided that their daily catch has decreased. For good fishing they now have to go far in the open ocean. But without proper equipment they are forced to abandon what has been their only livelihood.

Workers, who endure pathetic salaries and multiple maltreatments, also don't know where to turn with their difficulties. Several peaceful rallies have been organized to protest work hours, salary scales, medical provisions, but to little avail. During construction, accidents have occurred but companies have provided neither medical treatment nor cash compensation to the victims.

On Jan. 23, 2003, workers of the construction company Wilbros organized a strike in Ngoumou for better salaries and labor conditions. The police were called to disperse the crowd, and eight ex-employees of the company were arrested. That night they were beaten with fists and guns; some suffered internal bleeding. After eight months in the prison of Mbalmayo, accused of "group rebellion, band looting, and armed mobbing," they were released for lack of proof-without any compensation. Some of them still require medical attention.

The previous September in Nkoltara, 71 welders employed on the pipeline went on strike to claim proper work clothing and salaries. The workers protested that their clothing was not in conformity with the construction company's safety rules; only expatriates who were doing welding work for the company had protective helmets, eyewear, work shoes, and special clothing. All 71 workers were fired on the spot. The local authorities told them to take off the work clothes and go home. They had no regular clothes to put on, since they normally changed clothes at home. One of the workers did not have underwear. Subsequently, he was arrested for indecent exposure and locked up for 10 days.

Beyond the self-congratulations, the Chad-Cameroon oil and pipeline project carries with it more tears than smiles and, with the support of the World Bank, betrays the true meaning of development and poverty reduction.

Edith Abilogo is a journalist from Cameroon who works for CED, the Center for Environment and Development, a Cameroonian non-governmental organization involved in programs for the preservation of Cameroon's natural heritage. French speakers can read news and info on the CED's Web site.

Christi Boyd-van Overbeeke, a mission co-worker of the Presbyterian Church USA, works as the Companionship Facilitator for the Joining Hands Against Hunger Program in Cameroon. She is based with her family in the capital Yaoundé.

For more about Joining Hands Against Hunger, see the site of their sister organization. Ms. Boyd-van Overbeeke works for the Presbyterian Hunger Program.