the negative impact of buying over the internet
People's ways of purchasing goods and products have changed significantly in recent years: that shopping online gradually substituting for traditional retail is a prominent testimony. Although shopping online is of great convenience, as you just need a click on the product you want and put it in your "virtual" basket, it has many effects on the environment. In my view, the negative impact is likely to outweigh the positive counterpart.
On the one hand, the environment now can be beneficial from online shopping. First of all, this shopping habit helps to diminish the amount of carbon footprint. Traditionally, people will have to drive their cars to different shops to purchase products. However, with the help of delivery service, we can reduce the number of cars as well as the extent of CO2 gas eliminating. For example, it is better to deliver four orders using one car instead of having four customers go out and shop on their own. Furthermore, people's choices of purchasing goods online are accounted for online shopping's convenience, simplicity and diversity. As a consequence, it is a compelling evidence that online shopping helps prevent traffic congestion as consumers just stay at home and get their products.
On the other hand, online shopping is gradually destroying our planet. Firstly, it triggers a problem with wrapping material. As all products must be packed carefully so as not to be broken during the delivery process, they are out in plastic boxes or wrapped by paper. Obviously, all of these wrappers will be thrown out leading to air or water pollution, which are attributed to rubbish problems. Additionally, due to the fact that it is very easy to purchase things online, the demands for more products go up, which allows the need to make them rise, too. This is definitely detrimental to the environment in many ways. It uses up land and natural resources such as fuel, electricity, wool, so on in order to build more manufacturing companies. In other words, this shopping habit can cause deforestation and accelerate climate change.
To conclude, online shopping does contribute to lessening the effects of environmental issue. However, we should take into consideration its negative impact on Earth. The future of our planet also depends on our ways of purchasing.