Every choice made affects the future and it is best to have it under the best circumstances possible. This is why ecological bankruptcy must be avoided. 

As I was reading the “Let My People Go Surfing” book written by Yvon Chouinard, I came across the term “ecological bankruptcy” which I thought was very clever. When you think about it in terms of currency, absolutely nobody likes being bankrupt. It means owing money and having to work longer and harder or find a short term solution to a long term problem in order to pay off the debt. With that said, it is best to do everything in one’s power in order to avoid said bankruptcy.

Coming back to the environmental aspect, it is as if the planet earth is representing the bank, with human’s constant consumption and pollution of resources representing the over spending of money and owing solutions to reverse it. Nevertheless, in this case if nothing changes, both parties end up with a tremendous loss. The environment’s cycles break, making it impossible to provide the benefits it brings to all living things. Furthermore, humans and other living things get sick or worse. 

To clarify the meaning of ecological bankruptcy, it compares between product consumers and owners. The owners are empowered to be responsible for what they buy and choose to reuse or repair, which is the environmentally conscious choice. On the other hand, the consumers chose to dispose the product a certain time after purchasing it and repeating that process over and over. This decision is the one that damages the ecosystem and unfortunately generates the ecological bankruptcy. 

We’ve got to adapt to more beneficial choices!