consumerism and material economy. The government has the abilities to set laws for corporations as well as granting permission for firms to carry out their activities.
For example countries traditionally protective of workers' right like Germany has been allowing stores to have longer operating hours just to meet the demand of consumers. therefore it is clearly seen that the shift of government's stand to supporting consumerism can result in a country being more consumeristic, since its policies make consumerism ever more realistic.
In the end, too much consumerism is harmful to individuals, to societies-at-large and, as we can see now, to the entire global community. It is government's role at the end of the day to establish rules and frameworks that protect people and nations from destructive,

Meanwhile, the biggest incinerator news on this side of the pond was the closure last fall of the world’s largest trash-burner, in Detroit. Covanta, which operated the plant and was a minority owner, cited “economic factors” for closing an incinerator that had attracted protests for years. The Detroit incinerator is now running again, under different management, says Brad van Guilder, an incinerator opponent at the Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental organization in Ann Arbor, Mich., but it still requires subsidies to earn a profit, and it’s operating at far below capacity.

GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions

Very glad that @LiveGreenTO is supporting #TEDxToronto this year

The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World.