Humans have an enormous impact on our physical environment in various ways, from pollution and deforestation to water and energy strains, among others. Teaching students about these effects will enable them to comprehend the long-term ramifications of our actions; additionally, seeking wealth is associated with negative consequences both individually and for society as a whole.
Pursuit of affluence
While affluence may seem like the ultimate goal, its pursuit often comes at a great cost: energy usage increases significantly as do raw material requirements; productivity levels spike due to more work hours needed per worker and environmental and social systems are negatively affected by wealth accumulation.
Recent studies have demonstrated that people who prioritize material success may not experience an overall sense of well-being. One such research paper found that college students who aspired to wealth had lower self-esteem and were less able to form close relationships, placing greater importance on extrinsic goals such as popularity and appearance than their counterparts who prioritized more intrinsic goals such as personal fulfillment.
Research indicates that the impact of affluence can be quite complex; some research indicates that it leads to greater resource consumption. Affluent people tend to be more conscious of environmental concerns and may take steps to decrease them, often because they have greater access to information and can influence others’ consumption patterns.
Incarceration
Incarceration refers to the confinement of an individual in a correctional facility for an extended period, often for no good reason. This practice can have serious repercussions on individuals’ mental health and relationships – especially when they don’t remain connected with family and community members. Incarceration restricts their earning potential and prevents them from creating healthy bonds within society.
United States imprisonment rates are among the highest worldwide, disproportionately impacting poor people of color and having devastating repercussions for families, communities and society. Poverty often serves as a precursor for involvement with criminal justice; its effect can only worsen through imprisonment which destroys wealth while simultaneously undercutting employment prospects and restricting housing access.
Though incarceration can be used as a means to combat crime, it should always be the last resort. Establishing front-end programs like drug treatment courts and providing comprehensive health services during and post release could reduce incarceration rates significantly.
Economic stability
Economic stability is integral to human wellbeing and must be nurtured for it to flourish. Stable economic environments support business activities, increase investor trust and spur expansion; however, global economic events can have detrimental effects that compromise its stability; it is therefore imperative that you identify any factors which could negatively influence stability before formulating effective policies to counter them.
Financial insecurity prevents individuals and their families from accessing vital social services that support health and wellbeing, including healthy housing, emergency food assistance and adequate financial services. Furthermore, poor housing conditions expose families to environmental hazards like mold and pests which may compromise their wellbeing leading them down the path towards disease.
Administrative barriers and eligibility restrictions prevent participation in federal social benefit programs like SNAP and WIC, particularly SNAP for people living in poverty, which disproportionately impacts racial minorities. Addressing these issues through partnerships can improve economic stability while decreasing racial health disparities – one of five key determinants that local governments must prioritize when planning health policy decisions.
Environment
Many individuals work to protect the environment and conserve or save natural resources, helping to enhance life quality while also preventing pollution and waste. Wesomenia provides people with a deeper insight into environmental concerns.
Although poor nations and their citizens continue to be exploited by richer consumer nations through agriculture, wild material harvesting, textile manufacturing sweatshops, and textile supply chains, one of the greatest threats to quality of life today is biotic impoverishment – an impactful form of global decline that threatens life on Earth itself. Woodwell refers to this phenomenon.
Impoverishment manifests itself through high death rates and reduced societal wellbeing, devastation of homelands, and murder of those fighting to keep them, such as Ogoni people who battled Shell Petroleum Development Corporation to prevent pipeline construction on their land. Furthermore, environmental degradation threatens nonhuman animals that are speedily heading toward extinction.