• Consumption

In the current capitalist system, consumption represents a cyclical activity, since man
produces to consume, and this consumption generates more production.
Consumption seeks to satisfy not only present needs, but also future needs.
Furthermore, consumption is one of the main measures of the gross domestic product
(GDP) of a country.

Types of consumption
- Private consumption: Represents the value of product purchases and service
contracts made by families and private companies.
- Public consumption: State purchases.

The problem with consumption

From the point of view of the sustainable economy, the great problem of consumption
is that a large part of the world population does not produce, but does consume.
Therefore, it is increasingly necessary to create a system that normalizes this situation
and that helps each consumer to assign some type of productive role, however small it
may be, to keep the planet functioning correctly.

• Responsible consumption
Responsible consumption or conscious consumption is a model for the purchase of
goods and services defended by different ecological, social and political organizations.
Its central precept is the adoption, as consumers, of a commitment to labor, ecological
and moral conditions behind the preparation of what is consumed.

Examples of responsible consumption

Find out about companies, find out which ones make efforts to conduct their business
in a way that respects the environment and society in general, and prefer their
products to those of companies that do not.
Reject excess plastic: plastic bags, straws (straws, straws, straws).

 Planned obsolescence and its consequences on the environment.

Planned obsolescence has to do with those products designed to fail prematurely
or become obsolete in the short to medium term. Generally, the purpose is to sell
a new product or an update to it, a practice already prohibited in some countries.

Types of planned obsolescence.

- Sitemica: It happens, for example, when a computer is no longer compatible with

the new version of the operating system or it is not possible to connect new
peripherals because the port standard has changed.

- Perceived: It occurs, for example, when designers of smartphones or clothing

modify the style of products so that the old ones are perceived as less desirable.
- Dated: Some products simply stop working or are deactivated after a certain date,
forcing their replacement even if they are in good condition.

- Legal: It occurs when the regulation prohibits the use of a product, for example,
the circulation of diesel vehicles in the center of many European cities in order to
reduce emissions.

Examples of Planned Obsolescence

- Prevention of repairs
Many consumer electronics products are designed so that they cannot be repaired
or replaced by the user. Sometimes this translates into a physical impossibility, as
the casing cannot be opened without breaking or parts are soldered together to
prevent replacement.

- Artificial durability
It consists of designing a product so that it deteriorates quickly, for example, using
less resistant materials in the parts most subject to wear. In the case of computers,
there comes a time when the software update is no longer supported.

- Irreplaceable batteries
Some laptops, mobiles or electric toothbrushes have lithium-ion batteries, with a
useful life of two or three years, which cannot be replaced by the end user and
which forces them to buy a new device.

 Deforestation

Deforestation is a phenomenon of reduction of the forest area. It is caused by

multiple factors, both natural and human, and has irreversible consequences on
the environment.

Causes of deforestation
- Forest fires that, in addition to destroying forests and biodiversity,
release huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
- Diseases that affect trees.
- Parasites.
- The development of agricultural lands is the main cause of deforestation. The
world population continues to grow, and humans need more and more space to
provide themselves with food resources.

Deforestation: consequences
- Loss of biodiversity: as forests are the natural habitat of many species, their
destruction has a direct impact on the survival of global biodiversity;
- Soil degradation: forests make soils richer in organic matter and, therefore, more
resistant to weathering and erosion.
- Global warming: trees absorb CO2 throughout their lives and thus mitigate the
greenhouse effect.

 Biodiversity

It is the variety of life. This recent concept includes several levels of biological
organization. It encompasses the diversity of species of plants, animals, fungi, and
microorganisms that live in a given space, their genetic variability, the ecosystems
of which these species are a part, and the landscapes or regions where the
ecosystems are located. It also includes ecological and evolutionary processes that
occur at the gene, species, ecosystem, and landscape levels.

Types of Biodiversity
- Genetic diversity
It tells us that each living being, animal or plant, contains a unique genetic
composition. This reality gives rise to thousands of possible combinations where
there is no room for repetition. The more varied a species is, the greater its chance
of perpetuation.

- The diversity of species

It covers the different species that have common characteristics and that share a
certain ecosystem. For example, if we think of a freshwater river, we will see that
plants, trees, rocks, fish, birds, insects, and amphibians share in this vital space.

- Diversity of ecosystems
It describes specific geographic areas, which have unique characteristics that allow
the growth and sustenance of a group of species. These species depend directly on
the ecosystem where they are found. We can also differentiate two types of
ecosystems, terrestrial and marine.

 Loss of biodiversity
Man has always taken advantage of natural resources to guarantee his survival.
However, during the last century, the excessive use of the planet's resources has
caused the loss of hundreds of ecosystems, as well as the alteration or extinction
of existing biodiversity.
It is important to protect biodiversity and stop the loss of species because they are
the backbone for the ecological balance on our planet.
Human activities, pollution, global warming and climate change are the main
threats to biodiversity.

 Biomass
 It is a heterogeneous source of energy since it can appear in various forms:
agricultural, forestry, agri-food residues and the organic matter that human beings
generate in the form of garbage.

Methods to produce energy from biomass

- Thermochemical methods
They are the ones that transform biomass from heat; They are used on materials
with less moisture.
- Biochemical methods
Certain microorganisms are used to degrade the molecules of organic matter. They
are applied to materials with higher moisture content biofuel production

- First generation biofuels: They are obtained from food agricultural crops (for
example, vegetable oils).
- Advanced or second generation biofuels: They come from crop residues, food
industries, urban residues and those obtained from agroforestry crops not
intended for food.
- Additionally, there are routes under development in which through genetic
modification of certain microorganisms it is possible to improve the capture and
storage of CO2.
- Bioethanol: As a substitute for gasoline, it is currently obtained from traditional
crops such as corn, beets, sugar cane and certain cereals.
- Biodiesel: Derived from fats such as vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled
cooking fats, and can be mixed with diesel obtained from petroleum

Types of biomass
- Natural biomass
It is the one that occurs in nature without the intervention of the human being.
- Residual biomass
It is the organic waste produced from the activity of man.
- Biomass produced by energy crops
These are crops whose purpose is energy use and in which a specific species is
planted to maximize the production of living matter.

 Carbon dioxide emissions

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human
activities.
Carbon dioxide occurs naturally in the atmosphere as part of the Earth's carbon
cycle.Human activities are altering the carbon cycle
The main human activity that emits CO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas and oil) to generate energy and for transportation purposes, although
certain industrial processes
 Carbon footprint
The carbon footprint represents the total volume of greenhouse gases (GHG)
produced by the economic and daily activities of human beings.

Carbon neutrality
It is reached when the same amount of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere from
which it is withdrawn in different ways, which leaves a zero balance, also called
zero carbon footprint.

- Carbon negative: means that an activity goes beyond carbon neutrality by

removing more CO2 than it emits. Microsoft recently announced that it will be
carbon negative by 2030.
- Carbon positive: means that an activity releases more carbon into the atmosphere
than it removes or offsets, producing a detrimental effect on the planet.