Some degree of scarcity is good for sustainability

While prosperity and sustainability might seem like opposing goals, scarcity can actually be a driver of sustainable practices and good life. When resources are abundant, we tend to waste them. Conversely, scarcity encourages us to conserve.

The Power of a Little Less:

Let me share a personal anecdote. As a strong believer in "reduce, reuse, recycle," I fully supported the local fee on plastic shopping bags (5 cents each) aimed at promoting reusable alternatives. However, this change had an unintended consequence – our stockpile of plastic bags under the sink dwindled quickly. We now faced a dilemma: buy new plastic trash bags, defeating the purpose of reusable shopping bags, or find another solution.

The answer was readily available: the various plastic bags we normally discarded – meat packaging, produce bags, etc. With the scarcity of our usual shopping bags, we began to save and reuse these for waste disposal. This small change significantly reduced our overall plastic consumption – we eliminated plastic shopping bags and reused existing plastic for another purpose.

A Real-World Example:

This concept isn't limited to personal experiences. Consider the severe water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa. The city nearly reached "Day Zero" in 2018, meaning the complete shutdown of the public water supply. Residents initially resisted voluntary conservation efforts. However, when faced with the imminent scarcity of water, they dramatically reduced their daily consumption by half, effectively delaying Day Zero indefinitely.  Reference - Netflix video  Explained | World's Water Crisis.

The Path to Sustainability:

Both these examples illustrate how scarcity can promote sustainable practices. Abundant and cheap resources often lead to waste. To achieve true sustainability, we need to cultivate mindful consumption, taking only what we truly need, not what we simply want. Additionally, implementing policies that address resource limitations can be crucial.

While complete scarcity is undesirable, promoting responsible consumption alongside policies that address limited resources is the key to achieving a sustainable future.

Note - the essay was polished by Google Gemini