Priorities can change Since the peak of environmental consciousness in 1989, the environment has declined in importance for many people. In September 1991, Deirdre Macken reported in the Sydney Morning Herald that between 1989 and 1990 the number of people prepared to buy environmentally friendly products dropped from 33 per cent to 17 per cent. Environmentally damaging products, such as plastic shopping bags, were still being used as much as ever, and electricity and petrol use had increased. "Back on the supermarket shelves, the first environmentally sound disposable nappy, Econappy, has just been withdrawn; Glad's biodegradable plastic bag has been scrapped; the market share of eco-friendly toilet paper has dropped 17 per cent to 10 per cent and the share of environmentally safe cleaners has been halved." (pp. 37& 8) This was partly due to false or misleading advertising claims that led to confusion over which products were truly green. But it was also due to the falling priority people placed on environmental concerns as the economic situation worsened. People quite understandably began to worry about other things. Green consumerism only works when environmental concerns are in focus and topical, even fashionable. It is unwise to rely on such a mechanism to create continuing conditions for technological change.
Source: Sharon Beder, The Nature of Sustainable Development, 2nd edition, Scribe, Newham, Vic.,1996.  |
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