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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
We should all support less imports from China.
China is the worst environmental disaster ever!

[/quote]

American consumers are the worst environmental disaster ever. No one put a gun to every American's head and asked them to keep buying "stuff", whether they can afford or not.[/quote]

Ok, so let’s NOW reduce our made in China slave labor trade. Why not?

Better late than never....[/quote]

Not gonna happen. We are addicted to buying things and our economy is driven by consumerism. If we stop buying our economy will collapse. So we are stuck in a cycle of consumption. Its like riding a tiger. If we stop, the tiger will consume us.[/quote]

I often hear this line of argument but it strikes me as being irrational and detached from reality. Consumption is simply deriving incremental utility/enjoyment out of some good or service that you've purchased. Consuming is what gives value to the activities of an economic system. Every person consumes, some more than others, and in general there is a linear relationship between consumption and quality of life. It isn't somehow more virtuous to consume less.  Every developing country in the world desires to consume more in order to improve the quality of life. Note that environmental conservation is also a type of consumption - people desire a better environment and work towards technologies which contribute to that goal, and there fore wind farms, solar energy, and etc.

There is nothing wrong with consumption in and of itself. [/quote]

Consumption for our needs is one thing but consumption for our wants is what kills the earth. The resources are finite and if all 7 billion consumes like greedy Americans there won’t be much of anything left and the world will fail to address climate change. [/quote]

PP here, but therein is the rub: what is a need and what is a want?  Who gets to decide. You? Me? The city? The Federal Government? Some guy in Brussels?

I also don't see why you choose to ignore the readily observable fact that "good environment" is something that consumers value. Look at all the early adopters who spent money consuming Tesla vehicles. Look at all the people who consumed solar panels. Look at all the people who consume more energy efficient refrigerators, more water efficient faucets, less toxic herbicides, more recyclable fast food containers. All of these are in reaction to consumer demand. [/quote]

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