Rising living standards affects the environment I thought a lot about this subject and I realize that rising living standards affects the environment because we lack creativity. In the last few years, scientists and researchers have discovered new ideas and solutions that would permit us to live with high levels of comfort without negatively affect the ecosystem. Housing is an example of what I mean. It has been chosen to build houses without any consideration of pollution and waste of resources, to construct new buildings instead of renovating the old ones, to occupy more space and covering all the surfaces with concrete and asphalt. If we are curious and interested we can read every day some news about innovation in housing, starting from recycling materials up to using improbable matter, like straw. This vision and this inventiveness would be the solution to the possible loss of employment that could happen if we try to protect the environment. If several of polluting industries and activities will close, the employees could be hired in these new companies. We don’t need to renounce our lifestyle and go back to the Stone Age. ...