The population of the United States will pass 300 million today, or tomorrow. No one knows exactly where, no one know precisely when. It is a milestone for sure but is this a cause for celebration or anxiety?
... many experts say passing the 300 million milestone should be a wake-up call that demands a reappraisal of the extraordinary, unparalleled rate of consumption by the world's largest economy and its third largest by population. [Umph added!] As an economic model for the rest of the world to follow - in particular the rapidly developing economies of China and India - it is unsustainable, they say.
On a global scale the average US citizen uses far more than his or her fair share [FAIR SHARE?! What's that!? reliapundit] of the planet's resources ... The US - with five per cent of the world's population - uses 23 per cent of its energy, 15 per cent of its meat and 28 per cent of its paper.
If America consumes 23% of the world's energy, that means we buy 23% of the world's energy. Which, in turn, means that 23% of the people employed in the world's energy economy are employed because America bought their product or service.
This is also true in respect to the world's meat economy, and the world's paper economy, and - no doubt it is true of the world's tech economy, automobile economy, plastic goods economy, toy economy, luxury boat economy, and every economic sector across the spectrum (with the possible exception of the buzzing prayer mat).
This means the workers of the world really do have reason to unite ... in praise of America.
1 comment:
right on, pasto!
if we consumed LESS - as the Lefties urge - the rest of the worlds would be plunged into a terrible recession.
we need to consume MORE, as does everyone else.
to save Africans and other impoverished peoples we need to transform them into industrial consumer societies/economies.
which is exactly the opposite of what the left argues.
the biggest obstacle to ending poverty is the Left:
to make poverty history we need to make the Left hoistory.
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