How Corporations Are Monetizing Basic Human Needs – Is Clean Air the Next Commodity?

In recent decades, corporate industries have increasingly turned every human need into a profit-making opportunity. What was once free and naturally available is now being packaged, branded, and sold. The next major target? Air – specifically, oxygen.

Today, companies have begun selling “quality air” through air purifiers, oxygen cans, and in some cases, even oxygen bars. This marks a concerning trend where even the most basic necessity for life—clean air—is being commercialized.

Encashing Every Human Need

The commodification of essential resources is not new. Consider these examples:

• Seeds: In earlier times, fruits and vegetables naturally contained seeds that farmers could use to plant new crops. Now, many fruits are genetically modified to be seedless, and farmers must buy seeds from corporations every planting season.
• Cotton and Clothing: Traditional cotton farming and natural textiles have been largely replaced by synthetic, man-made fabrics produced and marketed by textile giants.
• Cooking Fuel: People once used firewood or other natural fuels. Today, gas stoves and cylinders have become the norm—another shift from self-sufficiency to dependency on industrial systems.
• Water: Borewell and well water have been replaced by bottled mineral water, turning a basic human right into a commercial product.

The Future of Air: Clean Air for a Price

As air pollution increases due to urbanization, industrial emissions, and deforestation, clean air is becoming scarce. In response, companies have begun offering:

• Air filters for homes and vehicles
• Personal air purifiers
• Bottled oxygen for urban dwellers and travelers

This trend suggests that the very air we breathe may soon become a luxury—accessible only to those who can afford it. What was once a shared resource is now being packaged and sold.

Why This Is Happening

The relationship between nature and humans has evolved over thousands of years, shaped by our dependence on the environment for survival and development. Here’s a brief overview of how this relationship began, how it changed, and the consequences that followed:

1. Early Human-Nature Relationship: Harmony and Survival

• Hunter-Gatherer Societies: Early humans lived in harmony with nature, relying on forests, rivers, and animals for food, water, and shelter.
• Deep Respect for Nature: Many indigenous cultures viewed nature as sacred, with beliefs that humans were part of a larger ecosystem.

2. Agricultural Revolution (circa 10,000 years ago): The Beginning of Human Control Over Nature

• Farming and Domestication: Humans began cultivating land and domesticating animals, leading to permanent settlements.
• Land was altered by clearing forests and diverting rivers to make way for farmland.

Consequences:

• Positive: Stable food supply, population growth.
• Negative: Soil degradation, deforestation began.

3. Industrial Revolution (18th–19th Century): Exploitation Intensifies

• Machines and Factories: Mass production required large amounts of coal, oil, and other natural resources.
• Urbanization: Rapid growth of cities led to pollution, habitat destruction, and overuse of land and water.

Consequences:

• Air and water pollution.
• Loss of biodiversity.
• Rise in greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.

4. Modern Era: Conflict and Awareness

• Technology and Globalization: Overconsumption of resources like fossil fuels, minerals, and water.
• Climate Change and Environmental Crises: Deforestation, ocean acidification, species extinction, and extreme weather events.

Growing Awareness:

• Environmental movements and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
• Push for renewable energy, conservation, and eco-friendly lifestyles.

5. Future: Towards Reconciliation?

• Sustainability Efforts: Green technology, reforestation, and conservation efforts aim to restore balance.
• Responsibility: Humans are recognizing their role in protecting nature for future generations.

Conclusion

Humans started by living in tune with nature but gradually shifted toward controlling and exploiting it. This has led to significant consequences like environmental degradation and climate change. Now, there’s a growing movement toward restoring a balanced and respectful relationship with the natural world.