Consuming less is our best strategy for saving the planet—but can we do it? In this thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book, journalist J. B. MacKinnon investigates how we may achieve a world without shopping.
We can't stop shopping. And yet we
must. This is the consumer dilemma.
The
economy says we must always consume more: even the slightest drop in spending leads
to widespread unemployment, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure.
The planet says we consume too much: in America, we
burn the earth's resources at a rate five times faster than it can regenerate.
And despite efforts to "green" our consumption—by recycling, increasing energy
efficiency, or using solar power—we have yet to see a decline in global carbon emissions.
Addressing this paradox head-on, acclaimed journalist
J. B. MacKinnon asks, What
would really happen if we simply stopped shopping? Is there a
way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering
economic collapse? At first this question took him around the world, seeking
answers from America's big-box stores to the hunter-gatherer cultures of
Namibia to communities in Ecuador that consume at an exactly sustainable rate. Then
the thought experiment came shockingly true: the coronavirus brought shopping
to a halt, and MacKinnon's ideas were tested in real time.
Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate
change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change
our planet, our society, and ourselves. Along the way, he reveals just how much
we stand to gain: An investment in our physical and emotional wellness. The
pleasure of caring for our possessions. Closer relationships with our natural
world and one another. Imaginative and inspiring, The Day the World Stops Shopping will
embolden you to envision another way.
