2 of 12

Disagree

Write now Article Tools

The general rule is: the richer the people the worse the pollution. Just take a look around in the world and you will see that the poorest countries cause hardly any or no pollution whatsoever. The simple reason for that is that pollution in general is caused by technique and "unnatural" behavior.

Riding a bike or walking doesn't pollute at all, but cars not only pollute the air, but also the earth when they have reached the end of their lives. Putting an extra jumper on and an extra blanket on your bed doesn't pollute in any way, but turning the heater on is a pretty bad thing for the environment.

Poor people just eat the food they can find and that's it. But in rich countries that food is wrapped in all kinds of useless materials that are meant to be thrown away. In poor countries women go to the market (no big buildings with heating or air conditioning) and bring their purchases home in a bag or cloth they took with them. Plastic bags usually don't exist or are something for the few rich in that same country.

Poor people wear their clothes till they literally fall apart, but in the rich countries people buy new things all the time and the old clothes are thrown away, causing more rubbish again. In the rich countries people buy big piles of presents (usually for a big part rubbish) and decorations for Christmas and a big part of the stuff ends up at the garbage disposal in January. And then I don't mention the amount of wrapping materials for all those presents and decorations. Poor people simply don't have the money to buy such things, so there's no rubbish to cause any pollution.

Poor countries are clean till the rich people enter them. Money and pollution go hand in hand and that's something that can't be stopped anymore. That's why the western world (which contains just a small part of the world population) is responsible for most of the pollution. So maybe coming month you should only buy things that are useful and don't have a lot of packaging. And give yourself a big shopping bag, so that you can bring all your Christmas shopping home without plastic bags. And wear your clothes another year before throwing them out. And walk to the store instead of taking your car. Then during Christmas you can have the peaceful thought that at least you haven't contributed too much to the pollution of the earth this year.

Learn more about this author, Rixta Francis.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Poverty is the worst polluter?
We want to hear your view. Write now!