Howthe scarcity myth is killing us
In American high school economics classes, we learn that scarcity is the impetus for the economic and social structures in which we live. The financial system, designed millennia ago to manage economic risk and extreme insufficiency, helps distribute wealth and reduce scarcity in our daily lives.
Yet the system and our concurrent behavior are ill-equipped to deal with a world where the definition of scarcity has changed.
Over the past 200 years, advances in agricultural engineering and food science have made it possible to fulfill the average caloric requirements of every person on Earth.
The worldwide daily per capita caloric supply exceeds the daily recommended intake, and in the U.S., the daily per capita caloric supply exceeds 3,600. This is an increase of more than 25 percent over the past 60 years, overlapping a more-than tenfold increase in the availability of large-size portions during the same period.
Unfortunately, our consumptive behavior has not adjusted to the changing environment. Food excess has contributed to a threefold increase in obesity in the U.S. At the same time, per capita generation of municipal solid waste has more than doubled over the past 60 years, fueled by an exponential increase in global plastics production.
Like crabs in a pot slowly brought to boil, we became comfortable living in a world of unnecessary excess. How did we end up here? I suspect it has something to do with the misconception of caloric scarcity and short-term resource scarcity.
On some level, we fear we do not have enough to eat, so we produce and consume more food than we need. We fear we do not have enough resources in the form of the latest gadgets, cars, clothing and accessories, so we treadmill through landfills of cyclical waste, sometimes becoming indebted to financial institutions as a result.
Nobody is at fault for living in a world that encourages overconsumption. Empty calories from cheap foods that lack nutrition are superficial pleasures. But we do have a choice to step back and recognize the hidden dangers of our consumerist environment and its mirage of false scarcity.
We can choose to eat half a takeout meal, saving the other half for later. We can replace sodas, smoothies and alcoholic drinks with water.
We can buy in-season vegetables, many of which can be eaten raw. And we can ask ourselves what consumptive purchases would truly contribute to our happiness and the well-being of our families.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we spend more time indoors with decreased activity, we have the opportunity to re-evaluate and refocus on what matters most and make choices that promote our long-term physical health, happiness and the state of the Earth. We do not lose out by living in moderation.
Instead, we can gain freedom from medical conditions and pain, time with loved ones, and the privilege of living in a clean and beautiful world.