Much like today, energy prices were constantly on the rise during the 1970s due to supply issues in the Middle East, and American overconsumption. In 1977, the year Jimmy Carter took office as President of the United States, the US consumed an average of 10 million barrels of oil, every single day.
Carter gave undoubtedly his most famous speech ever, on the subject of energy. In his infamous ‘Malaise’ Speech (actually called the Crisis of Confidence speech), Carter spoke plainly to the American public about their habits of over-consuming. He tried to explain that the only way to fight the energy crisis was not to try and reap more resources from the ground, or import more oil from overseas; it was to consume less. “Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumerism.” He continued, outlining the problem Americans were facing: Americans were becoming more materially prosperous, but less happy. “Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things, and consuming things, does not satisfy our longing for meaning.”
This follows trends in America. In 1967, a survey conducted by the University of Los Angeles found that the amount of people who wanted to be “well off financially” had more than doubled the amount of people who wanted to develop “a meaningful philosophy of life”. Furthermore, consumption on the whole has increased. The average American uses more oil today than they did in the 1970s, in the 70s, the average American used around 18 barrels of oil per year, as of 2024 the estimation is 24. An increase of 25%, when every global indicator has screamed at the public to curb consumption.
Unfortunately, Carter’s statement about consumption not satisfying a “Longing for meaning” still holds up for the current Generation Z. This generation consumes more than any other, particularly in fast-fashion and personal tech items. We are 65% more likely to buy a smartwatch, 95% of us own a smartphone, and 93% of us use at least two AI tools per week. The next highest group in that last category is millennials at a distant 79%.
Despite this, Generation Z is having a serious crisis of fulfilment. In a study done by Gallup in the United States, only 41% of American youth aged 18-26 considered their lives to be ‘fulfilled’ despite the fact that this generation in America consumes more in almost every other industry than any generation before them. As Carter said, “Owning things and consuming things” cannot satisfy Generation Z’s desire for meaning.
It is imperative that mainstream political leaders take the initiative on this issue, and speak to Gen Z as plainly as Carter did to the American public in 1979 — “This is not a message of happiness or reassurance. But it is the truth.” The issue of oil consumption can only be stopped if mass consumption in other industries is curbed. “Never before has the impact of our overconsumption been more apparent and visible. The mistakes of the past cannot be repeated by this generation as we take centre stage. It is imperative we take the lessons of the past and learn how to proceed.”
To reduce emissions we must reduce our own individual consumption. Overproduction will die with overconsumption if we have the agency as a generation to break the cycle which we are already falling into. We must begin to find meaning in other things, rather than filling the void with cheap clothes, and the latest tech-gadget. Even within the United States of America, the most prosperous nation in all of human history, only 41% of people find themselves satisfied despite record material gains and possessions — the time has come to look elsewhere.
Perhaps the best way for our generation to find new meaning, is to begin with the greatest challenge. It may be optimistic, many generations before us have failed, but we have the power, the technology, and the mass-awareness of the problem. Instead of sleepwalking or doomscrolling into oblivion, our generation’s new cause for finding meaning can begin with self-sacrifice for the common good. It is time for us to plant some trees under which we will never sit. It is within our generation’s ability to grab the helm of the world economy and alter course, but we must act now. We must break the idea of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ where we each prioritize ourselves rather than the common good. As Carter said: “We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children, and our grandchildren.” Let us go forward toward this common goal. And let us go for it together.