Consumerism: Nuclear Power and Future Generations Essay

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As demand for textiles, food, coffee, tobacco increases in wealthier countries, this is negatively impacting the overall environment in the third world countries. Large agribusinesses and companies investing in agricultural lands of the third world countries has resulted in land ownership to be concentrated in the hands of a few. These kind of activities done by food companies result in loss of jobs in rural areas of the developing world, where in most cases the entire rural economy depends upon agriculture. This induces the phenomenon of urban migration, in the developing countries, where the cities are already overpopulated, which results in slums, increase in crime rates and and increase in health related problems in the cities(1). An example can be of Abu dhabi based Al Qudra holding investing in a part of Algeria to purchase agriculture land, where the 23% of the local population lives below poverty line (2) . Al Qudra intends to produce olives, potatoes and diary products, all of which it intends to export. Hence in a way, it is a new form of colonialism, where the third world developing countries are producing food for richer developed countries at the cost of welfare of local population in developing countries.
More over, lets not forget that multinationals which invest in third world countries have been, numerous occasion, involved in different scandals involving improper disposal of chemical wastes and lack of safety in work environments. Many times, this toxic waste negatively affects the local agriculture as the same water is used for irrigation purposes, it affects the wild life and the natural habitat and overall its increases health related issues in the local communities where these factories and manufacturing plants are located. This problem does not end here, most of the times, these very multinational companies which produce to satisfy the growing demand from consumers worldwide, have been involved in exporting toxic materials to the developing countries (3).
The demand for goods and services in directly proportional to consumerism, and to satisfy that demand, countries need more and more electricity. One of the most expensive and hazardous way to produce electricity is by using nuclear energy, which unfortunately is prevalent in the developing world despite the fact alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar panels could be used. The nuclear waste produces by nuclear power stations, producing electricity, is a direct threat to the local community and even the entire region especially in case of a nuclear accident. In 2009 , “The Guardian” newspaper reported one such series of incidents in certain Indian cities where nuclear power plants were located. Physical disabilities, birth defects such as a cerebral palsy started appearing in young children living the communities close to these power plants. This reinforces the fact, that nuclear waste is not a only a threat to the local communities but also to the future generations. However in pursuit of consumerism, companies forgo the rights of local communities and
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