Online shopping has become more popular than ever before in recent years. This trend may have positive impacts on the environment and employment patterns in the short run, but it may do more harm than good in the long run.
In terms of the environment, the popularity of online shopping can help reduce the number of car journeys to physical stores and the amount of associated greenhouse emissions. A delivery truck, for example, is able to carry large amounts of goods, which, if carried by private cars, would require hundreds of trips, emitting huge amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In the long term, however, the convenience of shopping on the Internet might encourage people to buy more, and this will increase the number of delivery vehicles on the road, releasing more exhaust fumes and heat-trapping gases. In addition, if people consume more, there will be more waste ending up in landfills, which are one of the largest sources of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Regarding the effects on the types of jobs in the labour market, the growing popularity of online shopping has created various new employment opportunities, such as online grocery personal shoppers, delivery drivers and web designers. Looking into the future, however, the growth of this kind of shopping might lead to the bankruptcy of many traditional retailers, forcing thousands of people to face unemployment. The number of jobless people might outnumber the number of job openings created by the rapid development of online shopping, resulting in a higher level of unemployment.
In conclusion, the growth of online shopping might be beneficial for the environment and the labour market in the short run; however, in the long term, the benefits might be overshadowed by the negative consequences.
Online
shopping
has become more popular than ever
before
in recent years. This trend may have
positive
impacts on the environment and employment patterns in the short run,
but
it may do more harm than
good
in the long run.
In terms of the environment, the popularity of
online
shopping
can
help
reduce
the
number
of car journeys to physical stores and the amount of associated greenhouse emissions. A delivery truck,
for example
, is able to carry large amounts of
goods
, which, if carried by private cars, would require hundreds of trips, emitting huge amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In the long term,
however
, the convenience of
shopping
on the Internet
might
encourage
people
to
buy
more, and this will increase the
number
of delivery vehicles on the road, releasing more exhaust fumes and heat-trapping gases.
In addition
, if
people
consume more, there will be more waste ending up in landfills, which are one of the largest sources of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Regarding the effects on the types of jobs in the
labour
market, the growing popularity of
online
shopping
has created various new employment opportunities, such as
online
grocery personal shoppers, delivery drivers and web designers. Looking into the future,
however
, the growth of this kind of
shopping
might
lead to the bankruptcy of
many
traditional retailers, forcing thousands of
people
to face unemployment. The
number
of jobless
people
might
outnumber the
number
of job openings created by the rapid development of
online
shopping
, resulting in a higher level of unemployment.
In conclusion
, the growth of
online
shopping
might
be beneficial for the environment and the
labour
market in the short run;
however
, in the long term, the benefits
might
be overshadowed
by the
negative
consequences.