[originaltext]Early in tbe age of richness that followed World War Ⅱ，an America

Early in tbe age of richness that followed World War Ⅱ，an American retailing analyst proclaimed that our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life，that we seek our spiritual satisfaction，our own satisfaction，in consumption．We need things consumed，burned up，worn out，replaced and discarded at an ever increasing rate．
(30)Americans have responded to his call and much of the world has followed．Consumption has become a central task of life in industrial lands and is become one of the social values．
Over consumption by the world’s fortunate is an environmental problem unmatched in severity by anything but perhaps population growth．The exploitation of resources threatens to exhaust or inevitably spoil forests，soils，water，air and climate．
Ironically，high consumption may be a mixed blessing in human terms，too．(31)The time-honored values of integrity of character，good work，friendship，family and community have often been sacrificed in the rush to riches． Thus many in the industrial lands have a sense that their world of plenty is somehow hollow—misled by a consumerist culture，they have been fruitlessly attempting to satisfy what are essentially social．psychological and spiritual needs with material things．
Of course，the opposite of overconsunlption—poverty—is no solution tO either environmental or human problems．It is infinitely worse for people and bad for the natural world too．The poor peasants burn their way into the rain forests of Latin America，and hungry farmers turn their herds out onto fragile African grassland，reducing it to desert．
(32)If environmental destruction results when people have either too little or too much,we are left to wonder how much is enough．What level of consumption can the earth support?