What is unjust about the economic system?
(i) Starvation. The poorest people in the world today are often denied access to their own land. Instead, it is used to grow ‘cash crops’ such as tea, rubber, and more recently oil for fuel. These replace staple crops like wheat and rice that could feed many more people. (ii) Overfull landfill sites The UK sends more waste to landfill than any other European country. It has been estimated that we will run out of landfill sites by 2016. This problem is not just limited to the UK. Other countries that have experienced such ‘garbage crises’, have suffered serious health risks and riots. (iii) Carbon emissions. Many of the products we buy have been transported enormous distances to reach us. Whether by airplane, ship or HGV, by the time they has arrived, it has earned a large carbon footprint. There are also usually emissions involved in agriculture and manufacture. Under the present economic system it costs more to cut down on these emissions than it does to let them continue. (iv) Defore
