“The earth is a sphere if you see it from the moon, it is a blue sphere, of unparalleled beauty…” This is how the little song from the program “La Gran Canica Azul” began (Big Blue Marble) that I watched as a child on Channel 13, in which they showed us in half an hour the lifestyle and customs of other children who lived in some part of the world (those years when the internet did not exist, much less social networks and emails).
In addition, they had a section in which we were invited to have friends by mail or “Pen Pals”. Those who wanted to do it had to write to a mailing address in Santa Barbara, California, which was where the program was.Dear Pen Pal” (which, as they themselves pointed out, was “… a global program created to promote mutual understanding between the people of the world”) where they concentrated all the contact information sent, including the ages of the children concerned and their favorite hobbies, and they They were in charge of looking for someone of the same gender, age and common tastes for an exchange of letters between friends from all over the world.
Who, as a child, would have imagined that we could communicate so easily with another child on the other side of the world? It was 1980. There was a total population of 4.437 million people. We saw the world as something immense.
Today in 2022, on the same planet that we saw as colossal, we have already reached 8,000 million (and let’s keep adding, because every second 2 children are born. That’s right, in what you just read this paragraph there are another 20 babies in the world) .
Regardless of the joy that receiving a “blessing” at home gives us (especially when it is desired and others when it is a surprise), the demographic increase could have serious consequences that we are already beginning to suffer internationally.
You could tell me that this data does not interest marketers and publicists, but note that it does.
It has to do with the aforementioned consequences. We will have serious problems if the basic needs of all the inhabitants of the planet and the millions to come are not met. And if we add to this the impact on the environment, of course we are interested.
Already at COP27 the UN pointed out: The last eight years are the warmest on record so far. The global average temperature this year is 1.15 degrees Celsius above the average for pre-industrial years (1850 to 1990). In the same event, the World Meteorological Organization pointed out that: “The rise in sea level is accelerating, the melting of European glaciers breaks records and extreme weather events cause devastation” and also that “The heat caused a decrease in the yields of the crops. This, combined with the ban on wheat exports and restrictions on rice exports in India, threatens international food markets and poses risks for countries already affected by shortages of staple foods.”
Do you still think we are not interested?
Overpopulation is a phenomenon that goes hand in hand with climate problems. No way. And there is another fact that is mixed with it: Consumerism.
And we are not talking about the excess purchase of luxury products or services by those who have the possibility to do so. We are talking about the excess purchase of products that are discarded sooner rather than later, causing contamination not only in their waste but also in the large amount of resources used for their production.
well mention it Francisco AvelarRector of the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, in a publication on the subject: “human beings are not satisfied with the search for the essential resources for our survival and reproduction, but now we demand, accumulate and waste wholesale (each according to their income) objects and goods that are strictly unnecessary (we do not need, for example, 10 pairs of jeans, a dozen shoes or twenty shirts or blouses, but many of us have that or more in our wardrobes)…”
Millions of inhabitants on the planet are promoting an “Ecological Overdraft” as I had already mentioned in a previous column.
If even so, you, as a company, agency, medium, or head of marketing, believe that you have nothing to do with the problem, then yes, we are in trouble.
The 8 billion people are already here and we continue to grow in number. That no longer has two ways. What is in our hands?
As the population continues to grow like this, by 2050 we will need almost three planets to use the natural resources necessary to sustain ourselves. We promote the necessary consumption of our products.
We use and produce with raw materials that do not negatively impact the environment. Do you want more consumers/users? Try to make them live better on their planet and you will get many more.
Promote the reuse of your products before they buy you again. Sooner or later, your consumers will thank you for being loyal to a brand that cares about them. We promote responsible consumption.
Try to use local products to create your own. You will avoid the emission of polluting gases if your supplies are not distributed to you from distant places.
Use clean and efficient energy in your companies (don’t listen to you-know-who) and promote savings in energy and water consumption in your offices and homes among your collaborators.
Try to collaborate with the Fair Trade movement, so you will comply with respect for human rights, fair practices and greater protection of the environment.
Let’s use our knowledge and resources for birth control education issues in marginalized places.
If our product reaches that miscellany of the mountains or the most remote place, why couldn’t some educational communication on our part reach it?
Today, in our “Big Blue Marble” of 8 billion people, let us envision a better, sustainable future. Let’s turn around the way we do business and think that profit should not be the main objective, but satisfying people’s needs should be, and let’s give greater importance to those who sustain our companies and brands: people.