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

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions considers whether there is sufficient global physical capacity for all our discarded and worn-out purchases

• This week’s question: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/23/if-all-car-tyres-were-filled-with-co2-would-this-cut-atmospheric-carbon-significantly">If all car tyres were filled with CO2, would this cut atmospheric carbon significantly?

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

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