Responsible use of resources

Yesterday, I watched an ad on YouTube or I had to just because it takes 5 seconds to skip an ad as per YouTube policy. It was quite interactive so I decided not to skip it. It was about “Sui gas” awareness. A statement that I found very interesting was something like

“heater na chalain balky garm kapray pehnain”.

I was thinking what’s the big deal in using a gas heater? If someone can afford it then why not?. It’s just because I am a student of Economics, and It’s my responsibility to analyze things that are happening around me, on economical grounds. It was just my random thought but when I think about it critically and look at its productive consequences, it just changed my idea 180 degrees.

It was about managing resources and not to over-consume. Because overconsumption by someone not only disturbs one but also the whole of society. To understand the idea look at a few examples:

Energy

If you can pay the bills of electricity, no matter how big the figures are, it doesn’t mean you should “over-consume” it and make it difficult for poor people. As per the theory of price determination “Supply and Demand”, keeping production constant in the short run, prices will rise if the quantity supplied is lesser than the quantity demanded. Now, when prices rise, they will rise for both poor people and rich people. Again, rich people will waste more and make it difficult for poor people to benefit from energy for the reason for the high prices. I am not against necessary consumption but rather overconsumption because it is a waste of resources. If someone’s family is big or if the temperature’s really low outside, one should consume a heater for satisfaction. But those who are not even in the room and there is nice sunny weather outside but still, the heater is working for only one reason, “they are rich and they don’t care”.

Food

Now let’s look at it on a macro level. Take another challenge of the world that is “food insecurity”. An average American consumes about 74 kg of meat per year. Biologically, we only need about 25 kg per year. On the other hand, people in Africa are dying from malnutrition. Isn’t it strange? Overconsumption of meat by rich people not only affects poor people but also animals. To meet the demand of the market, farm owners push themselves to evil practices such as injecting steroids in animals to boost their muscles, keeping animals in small places, and removing certain organs of animals. And who demanded so much meet? you and me. Be careful with the fancy advertisements of food pandas when you are not hungry.

Lifestyle

Some people can afford big 4×4 vehicles. They will purchase it even if they don’t go to hilly areas very often. They will travel on it for even small distances without any thought of expenses. Consequently, for only one person 2700 CC engine is combusting and causing pollution. If someone is so much rich that one does not care about expenses then why not purchase a small bike for small distances? In this way, pollution and energy can be reduced. Similarly, people purchase multiple clothes which ultimately means more washing and ironing cost. We don’t need many clothes unless we are fashion models or have business clothing.

Conclusion

If you can afford wastage of resources by over consumption then just think about those people who can’t even buy such necessities. Consider them not only on moral grounds but also on economical grounds. Your reasonable consumption can bring very positive impacts like saving energy for the needy, animals from cruel farm owners, and the environment from pollution. Thank you.