Sustainable living

Question

How might sustainable living raise global standard of living?

Over the last quarter century, advances in technology and living standards have enabled billions of
people to escape poverty. In the coming decades, emerging economies will grow and it is expected that
global population increases to nearly 10 billion by 2050. While economic growth reduces poverty, it also
increases the consumption of everyday items and some of these items may harm the environment, and
more factories will continue to be built to produce these items, releasing more greenhouse gases. There
is only a certain degree of greenhouse gas emissions we can endure in order to stay healthy, but these
emissions keep increasing as time goes on.

This increase in greenhouse gases will lead to an increase in respiratory diseases and there are also
other ways the pollution is occurring such as littering or run off produced by factories. There are other
consequences of pollution such as animals going extinct due to deforestation and loss of habitat,
because forests are cleared to build more housing and infrastructure.

Sustainable living is when people adopt a life style in attempt to reduce the amount of natural
resources of the earth they consume. It could be very simple things like stopping the use of plastic
things, reducing household energy use by turning the light off when no one is in a room, conserving
water by turning a faucet off when you are not using it, and depending less on your car and using public
transport or riding a bicycle instead, or cooking your own food.

There are many benefits to sustainable living, including saving money on utility bills by cutting down on
water and electricity use, or eliminate your electricity bills entirely by using renewable energy such as
solar panels. This in turn helps people save more money and enjoy a higher living standard. Cooking
your own food with non-toxic and quality products promotes good health and buying the food from
places like a local farmers market can be cheaper and does not use disposable packaging. and using a
bicycle instead of a car can better your overall fitness, which also promotes good health. People can
save more at the fuel pump by buying more sustainable cars or buying electric cars. If many people live
sustainably greenhouse gases can decrease and cause less pollution, which betters your health.

According to the World Health Organization, 6.7 million premature deaths occur annually due to
household air pollution and ambient air pollution. Many people worldwide cook using open fires or
inefficient stoves fueled by kerosene, coal and biomass which generates harmful household air
pollution. Therefore, expanding the use of sustainable fuels and technology like solar, biogas, electricity,
etc. can help protect the health and increase peoples life expectancy.

When plastic is littered in the ocean, fish can consume them and since they cannot digest it, it will linger
in their stomach and if they are caught and sold, people who eat the fish will also eat the plastic.
Government investment in sustainability will help provide more jobs such as organic farming,
agricultural technicians and farming managers. This can have a positive economic impact on local
communities and they can save or earn more money thing way, it also has a positive effect on their
health since it benefits the environment as well.