As we aim for net zero, our love of buying is the stuff of nightmares | Letters

Adrian Chiles rightly highlights the difficulty with things addiction and the advertising sector being complicit in this (We will need to quit purchasing stuff – and I know just the people today to persuade us, 20 October). His posting is seriously yet another version of the strategy of “de-growth”. This usually means relinquishing the fixation on GDP expansion and concentrating on developing greater-high-quality, affordable products developed to past a life span, though repurposing, restoring and recycling every thing else. This calls for a radical restructuring of our financial state alternatively than “greening up” the economic system we currently operate.
Dr David Dixon
Catford, London

As Adrian Chiles recognises, “Stop acquiring stuff” will in no way capture on as an ad marketing campaign. All lifeforms prosper by consuming accessible resources, but in human consciousness this all far too normally interprets as “happiness equals far more stuff”. We will be ready eternally for the behavioural adjustments necessary to obtain net zero know-how and financial applications are our only hope.
John Rieuwerts
Yelverton, Devon

Bravo, Adrian. I have cleared out all the stuff that I know I will under no circumstances use all over again. It is absent to the charity store, the place at the very least it will advantage anyone less fortunate than me.
Linda Karlsen
Whitstable, Kent

Examining Adrian Chiles’ post, my intellect jumped to clearing out my grandmother’s dwelling in 1970. She was 85 when she died and her stuff consisted of a number of clothing, saved in a chest of drawers that was a wedding ceremony gift in 1912, a teapot and the continues to be of a 50-year-outdated evening meal support. At 15, the realisation that you could reside a perfectly superior existence without stuff was terrific preparing for the next 50 several years. The problem for me has been living with other people’s stuff!
Lorraine Croxford
Dunstable, Bedfordshire

Adrian Chiles refers to recurrent updating of kitchens, a pattern a lot of folks seem to have received into these times due to “must have” advertising. My kitchen was set in when we moved into our dwelling 43 years in the past and I’m nonetheless happy with it. Even the work surfaces are just about as superior as new they really do not make worktops like that any extra.
Diane Woodley
Westgate-on-Sea, Kent

Adrian Chiles could like George Carlin’s really amusing diatribe on “stuff”, which is on YouTube. It’s possible it is time we took it seriously?
Anne Knowles
Nebo, Ceredigion