Communications and Media

Anything in excess definitely tends to be detrimental in various ways. While certain things may not cause considerable harm to individuals, there are of course human activities which result in deleterious repercussions not only for one but for all humanity. Overproduction and overconsumption, which are logically interconnected occurrences, are specific examples of such. To further explain and to clarify, overproduction pertains to the excessive extent of industrial production of goods which in turn becomes economically sound due to the presence of insatiable market demand (Edwards, 2005). While some may not immediately realize, both overproduction and overconsumption is indeed a serious issue not only in society but throughout the world for it ravages the natural environment. It is not difficult to acknowledge the fact that vast amounts of natural resources are required in order to produce even the most common products available in the market. Therefore, throughout the following discussion not only would the aforesaid problems be explained, but its roots and potential solutions would be expounded upon in order to gain an appropriate degree of awareness.

As noted beforehand, both overconsumption and overproduction are modern day occurrences in society which generally threatens the environment. In particular, most current trends in production, which is expectedly driven by demand, exhibit environmental disregard to the extent that experts believe that if such practices were to continue the capability of nature to regenerate its resources would soon no longer be able to keep up (Raven and Williams, 1997). Depleting natures resources entirely would definitely result in catastrophic repercussions despite the technological advances which humanity has acquired throughout the centuries, it is still impossible to deny the fact that humans are still entirely dependent upon the availability of resources. For example, even a most basic commodity such as paper is in fact a common culprit in the concerns regarding overproduction. Specifically,  the process of creating paper not only requires extensive amounts of raw materials, which of course often includes plants and trees, but also emphasizes the need to utilize energy to complete the whole process in relation to this, since paper is continuously made, environmentally detrimental waste is also released into the surroundings in an ensuing manner (Afgan, Bogdan,  Duic, 2004).

If the common approaches to the industrial production of paper is already considered as harmful to the environment, what more would more complex items be. Of course though, overproduction, regardless of the commodity produced, would never become a considerable concern if the society does not exhibit overconsumption. The modern day society, given the opportunities given to each individual to earn, may be considered to be driven by the need to consume individuals tend to perceive monetary gains as a means to consume, acquire, or purchase items of their liking (Schuler, 2009). In this sense, would it not be appropriate to assume that once an individuals acquires what he or she desires, be it simple food items or cutting edge technological devices, the tendency to consume wanes or disappears In reality though, as aforesaid, the society is becoming increasingly insatiable hence the presence of overconsumption as a concern. Instead of being fulfilled after getting the desired object, individuals now thrive to earn more so as to be able to afford more items not taking into account the need for moderation (Schuler, 2009). Interestingly, as testament to interconnected nature of overconsumption and overproduction, it would be appropriate to presume that if production does not ensue in a frantic pace then moderation would have naturally occurred. 

The irresponsible use of natures resources, thinking only of the current population, would logically result in a reality for future generation to face wherein even the most common resources are already void throughout the Earth. However, despite its urgency, the problems discussed above are not caused by recent events but are instead the unwanted effects of humanitys endeavors for improving the quality of life throughout the centuries. The industrial revolution, generally considered to have its most important breakthroughs throughout the 1700s which includes inventions such as the steam engine, is often regarded as the root of most, if not all, current environmental concerns associated with the use of natural resources (Edwards, 2005). During the industrial revolution though, it is not surprising to realize as to why such an encompassing movement in society gained unanimous support from the population and even the whole world. Prior to the  technological advances during the industrial revolution, making or transporting even the simplest commodities and goods require both considerable time and effort upon the creation of machines for production and new means of transport though, people realized that they could create significantly more than before and thus they did for the years to come (Edwards, 2005).

Unfortunately, the negative effects of industrial revolution which entails overproduction and overconsumption, only became apparent centuries later. In a more positive and hopeful note though, there are still ways to escape such a path to ruin. Reversing the effects of both overproduction and overconsumption may still be done in a timely manner, by shifting from an industrial perspective to one which embodies sustainability. While the aforesaid term may not be immediately perceived as simple and easy to understand by some, it is without doubt reflective of a basic and logical response to current environmental problems. Specifically, the concept of sustainability is defined by practices which involve a strict consideration of the availability of resources, maintaining moderation in use and allowing for natural regeneration so as  to ensure that succeeding generations would be able to appreciate and utilize such resources as well (Raven  Williams, 2005). In this sense, sustainability may be applied at two distinct yet related levels in order to achieve a brighter future for the whole society at the industrial level and the the personal level. Indeed, not only should large firms and corporations adopt more environmental means of production but the individual or the consumer should also assume a more responsible stance in consumption.

In terms of industrial application of sustainability, it would be appropriate to use the paper industry as an example. To lessen the use of materials and energy, changes have been made to conventional means of production in which not only is the entire process made more efficient to lessen waste output but now byproducts are also being tapped for creating energy which in part powers the process of making paper (Afgan, Bogdan,  Duic, 2004).  In short,  changes towards the aim of achieving sustainability should include the development of new and improved approaches to production, to use less resources and yet still create more products, and at the same time design new means of lessening the amount of harmful waste created and released into the environment by finding novel applications for such. Expectedly, while such changes may initially require additional funds, the results of such environmental endeavors for industrial applications would quit e possibly cut costs in the long run (Edwards, 2005). As noted beforehand, changes may be made as well at the individual level in general, a more environmentally responsible mindset is all that is required to shift into a sustainable manner of living buying only what is necessary and practicing moderation in a general sense are essential for an environmentally sound lifestyle (Winter, 2007).

When overconsumption and the insatiable demand for products would begin to cease, then production would no longer be done in an excessive pace as well making sustainability-based changes to industrial processes would then become more appealing to companies worldwide to achieve an optimal balance between efficiency and economy. In conclusion and as a final note though, despite the presence of such promising solutions to the concern of overproduction and overconsumption as well as its effects urgency must be realized a wide-scale adaptation of the aforesaid changes must immediately be achieved in order to avert wide-scale resource depletion which would compromise the well-being of future generations.