The out-of-control overconsumption has not only failed to meet our basic human needs, but has also led to the poisoning of our environment through the release of thousands of non-natural pollutant chemicals from our waste.
Many of these substances enter the human bloodstream with biological and neurological effects that are still not all understood. A global epidemic of diet-related obesity and non-communicable diseases is underway as urban people increasingly consume foods that contain higher energy but lower fruit and vegetable diversity than the foods previously eaten.
Stress, increasingly common cancers, and an almost epidemic level of mental illness are creating problems, most noticeable in developed countries where the term “affluenza” was coined to describe the dangers of pursuing material possessions and status as a means of accessing happiness.
