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Is it inevitable that consumerism will literally fill up the planet?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

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🕒 16 Aug 2026 20:00

Is it inevitable that consumerism will literally fill up the planet?

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If consumer capitalism continues at its current rate, will we reach a point at which there is literally no space left on Earth for all the stuff that has been created? Alex Robinson, Alnwick, Northumberland

Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.

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