All of this has not stopped industries from producing more. No global standard has been adopted for classifying industries that are the most polluting. So, we’ve created this list based on research. Here are some of the most polluting industries harming the environment in recent times:

1. Transport

More than 20% of carbon emissions are caused by the transport industry. Freight and passenger travel are the two major components. Many people own cars today. This has led to the release of massive amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the air every year. 

There are certain steps that we can take to reduce the pollution caused by transport. They include limiting international travel and choosing public transport whenever possible.

2. Energy

It won’t come as a surprise to many that the energy industry is also among the most polluting industries. Most of the greenhouse gases are emitted from industries belonging to the energy sector. This is the result of the use of coal, which is a major contributor to climate change. Recently, 197 countries of the world agreed to reduce the use of coal. 

Over 140 countries among them have committed to reaching zero emissions. A significant increase in population has increased the demand for oil. In the year 2006, we were consuming 85 million barrels of oil a day. Just three years later, this had increased to 100 million barrels per day.

3. Retail

There’s a considerable gap between demand and supply of food owing to a growing population. Despite this, several tonnes of food is wasted every day. Retailers across the world use plenty of plastic for packaging. This increases plastic pollution, which results in the deaths of thousands of marine animals. 

Whales, dolphins, and turtles are among the ones that consume plastics and die within a short period. There are certain steps that we can take to reduce the risk to marine life. They include stopping plastic packaging and using reusable bags for shopping.

4. Fashion

The fashion industry also contributes greatly to carbon emissions and wastes. A large number of cloth wastes are dumped in various ecosystems around the world. Currently, the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. The problem is of low-quality materials used in the manufacture of clothes. This happens in countries that rely mostly on coal and gas for production.

5. Agriculture

The world relies mainly on agriculture for food. Owing to the ever-increasing global population, there is a rise in the demand for meat and dairy products. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions come from cows. Some of the sources of these emissions are feed production and the transportation of dairy products and meat. 

Clearing the land for agriculture involves cutting and burning trees. This releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With a lesser number of trees and plants, the quantity of this gas getting absorbed is also less.

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Although new biological and electronic technologies are important, this is not a technological revolution. This is more of a philosophical revolution, which takes the current realities into consideration. Past ways of thinking and existing are now being considered as incapable of solving the problems of today and the future.

The need for sustainable capitalism

The industrial revolution was instrumental in bringing many benefits to humanity, which were of material nature. Many of us wouldn’t like to return to the pre-industrial society. However, we can’t ignore the fact that industrial development inherently depends on natural and human resources. This is the very thing that has led to the rapid depletion of the former. 

So, there’s an urgent need for sustainable capitalism. It is not so hard to see why. We’ve seen the seemingly unending military conflicts that the Middle East has been suffering with. Almost everyone in the world knows about the decline in fossil energy production. 

We’ve also suffered from the effects of climate change due to global warming. There’s one thing that we must be absolutely clear about. Capitalism can be extremely efficient if it doesn’t consume natural resources in an uncontrolled way.

Principles behind sustainability

Sustainability is more about how we utilize energy. Everything that humanity uses requires energy to produce and use. These things themselves are a form of energy in a way. Human activities such as thinking, working, and managing also need energy. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be used and reused. It can never be created or destroyed. 

According to the second law of thermodynamics, energy loses some of its usefulness when it is used or reused. Before its use, energy is more concentrated and organized. Upon using it, energy is transformed into less concentrated and more dispersed forms. Energy must be collected, re-concentrated, restored, and reorganized before its reuse. 

All of this needs energy and it is no longer available to do anything else. The only source of energy available in abundance every day is solar energy. However, most of the capitalist economies offer no incentives to collect and store solar energy. Even the solar energy that’s collected is put for consumption in the marketplace.

How sustainability can be achieved

Sustainable capitalism involves mimicking the natural processes of biological systems. Plants can capture and store solar energy to offset the lost usefulness of energy. They’re useful to many other species, are productive, and devote their energy to renewal and regeneration. So, to achieve sustainability, we must divert a significant portion of our energy towards the renewal and regeneration of energy. 

Value, efficiency, and sovereignty are the guiding principles of economic sustainability. Communities that practice sustainability must use their intellect, people, land, energy, and money efficiently. People must not only be free to make their own decisions but also must feel responsible for their choices.

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It has resulted in the never-ending cycle of acquiring goods and services in excess. This concept began after World War II and has intensified ever since. It associates a person’s happiness with the consumption of goods and material possessions.

Benefits

Researchers are divided in their opinion about consumerism. Some believe that it has created a rift between nature and humans. Others are of the view that consumerism has lifted people from misery and made their lives meaningful. Many researchers also believe that it has connected people who are associated with common consumer culture. 

Despite such differences in opinion, the fact remains that consumerism continues to thrive. One of the benefits of consumerism is its ability to keep production growing. An increase in production would obviously increase the rate of employment. This leads to an increase in people’s spending power and creates a demand for goods and services. 

Those in need can expect food and job security. Homelessness goes into decline as people can rent or buy homes. Competition compels the companies producing goods and services to come up with great innovations. Products and services that have never existed in the market are invented to make people’s lives better. This also ensures the survival of these companies in the highly competitive market.

Disadvantages

The culture of people is affected by consumerism to a great extent. The darker side of this concept can be witnessed almost everywhere today. People are gradually becoming the slaves of consumption. Let’s take the example of Apple’s iPhones. These smartphones are updated periodically, which results in the creation of new phones. The introduction of ‘new’ leads to dissatisfaction with the ‘old’. 

This feeling of dissatisfaction takes over the minds of those who own iPhones. A desire to own the latest iPhone makes them spend more to get the updated one. The desires of consumers are also fueled by constant advertisements and media promotions. Consumers are made to believe that owning the latest phone from Apple is necessary for their happiness. 

So, consumerism ultimately becomes less about owning goods and more about a step ahead of others. Consumerism also leads to inequality. The gap between the rich and the poor widens. According to reliable sources, nearly 60% of the world’s resources were consumed by 10% of the world’s wealthiest population. This explains the fact that consumerism and globalization have resulted in unequal distribution of wealth. 

The worst part of consumerism is that it has led to the exploitation of natural resources and the environment. One of the major problems the world is grappling with is waste disposal. In order to dispose of wastes, oceans are being used as giant spaces for disposal. 

This clearly points out the fact that the negative side of consumerism outweighs its benefits of it. Over the years, consumerism has threatened to destroy a human being’s spiritual connection with nature. The world today needs a radical change in consumer behaviour like never before.

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The desire for constant growth in capitalist societies has led to the interruption of natural cycles. It has taken millions of years for such cycles to develop. Today, there’s a significant rift between society and nature. We’re already seeing the effects of this rift. Among them are loss of biodiversity, acidification of the oceans, changes in soil quality, and chemical pollution.

Capitalism has been surely beneficial to some extent, but it has also brought some disastrous effects. Unemployment, misery, and social and material deprivation are some of them. Along with these social issues, it has also caused significant damage to the environment. 

This was apparent from the recent fires in the Amazon forest. They were the product of deforestation. We’re witnessing this more frequent phenomenon of forest fires. They were also seen in sub-Saharan Africa and Siberia. The thirst for profit and the resulting climate change are intensifying such events.

Capitalism as the culprit

Scientists agree that the increase in greenhouse gases over the years has resulted in climate change. They’ve also concluded that this is mostly due to human activities. What many of us don’t know is that human activity is not the only problem. The real culprit here is capitalism. 

Since the late 19th century, the average temperature on the surface of the earth has increased by nearly 1 degree Celsius. With the industrial revolution began a rise in the average global temperature. Projections given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) point out certain dangers. 

In the near future, we’ll see an increase in the average global temperature by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. We’ll witness a rise in ocean levels by 18 to 59cm. The IPCC also warns that carbon dioxide emissions will continue their contribution to global warming.

Tricks played by capitalists

Efforts have been made globally to create awareness among the capitalists. They’re being constantly told about the catastrophic effects of global warming. Now, the capitalists have come up with two strategies to counter this. On one hand, they’ve initiated a campaign to deny scientific evidence. On the other, they indulge in the promotion of ‘sustainable’ capitalism. 

It presents certain changes to the systems of production, designed to pacify the environmentalists. While doing this, they also strengthen their model of exploitation. Some of the heads of capitalist countries are always in denial mode. The actual driving force behind the environmental crisis is multinational corporations.

Some corporations also talk about fixing the environment by limiting their production of harmful substances. They also claim that they’re developing new technologies to prevent the destruction of natural resources. One of their arguments is that this would be the new way of growing economically. 

Implementation of taxes on carbon dioxide emissions is another strategy being used. This might not have a significant effect on emissions. Instead, the purchasing power of the working class would be weakened.

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However, this economic system is fed by the motive of profit and encourages competition. As a result, only certain sections of people get a fair share. There are many other negative impacts of capitalism on society,: which we’ve tried to explain here:

1. Inequality

The benefits arising out of capitalism are rarely distributed equally. Wealth rests in the hands of a very small percentage of the entire population. The demand for luxury goods is limited to a few among the total workforce. Inequality, therefore, keeps increasing. One of the reasons for the inequality is inherited wealth. 

In a capitalist economy, the children of wealthy individuals inherit their assets. Those born with certain privileges, therefore, are more likely to do well. They end up getting a better upbringing, education, and wealth.

2. Monopoly

Companies or firms that are successful in a free market can gain the power of monopoly. This gives them the ability to inflate the prices of their goods and services. The freedom of monopoly is thus abused and this causes a certain amount of loss to the consumers. 

Let us take the companies that supply tap water or electricity as an example here. They have a natural monopoly. If they inflate the prices, consumers would be left with no other alternative. They’ll have to pay the prices that they’re charged by these companies.

3. Unemployment of some individuals

The factors of production should be able to move from an unprofitable sector to a profitable industry. Although this is seen as something that’s quite empowering in a capitalist society, there are certain faults. Let’s take an example of a farmer who is unemployed due to some unforeseen events. 

He can’t just move to a big city and get a job immediately. As he has spent most of his life on the farm, he can’t let go of the geographical ties. He may not have the right skills for a new job as well. So, you’ll get to see many such people unemployed in capitalist societies.

4. Greed

Capitalism is based on the desire to earn profits. The system creates incentives for choosing profit over matters of social welfare. This might lead to a lot of greed in such societies. The theories of price discrimination might be employed by some firms to charge the consumers higher prices. This might lead to the creation of a society, where the rich can pay to jump a queue. 

This profit motive has been an encouragement for many firms. Some of the law firms pursue claims of litigation quite aggressively. In a way, this implies that a certain amount of resources are being given away just to protect themselves.

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