America will reach 300 million people either today or in the next couple of days. While this milestone denotes a nation of abundance and opportunity, it also bodes poorly for the increasing amounts of waste and gluttony that have become part and parcel of the American lifestyle.
The Independent lists some unfortunate statistics that quantify the American way of life, both for better and for worse:
300m: Expected population of the United States by the end of this week
75: Life expectancy for men in the US. Women are expected to live until 80
63: Life expectancy for men in the developing world. Women are expected to live until 67
395m: Projected population of the US by 2050
1,682m3: US annual water consumption per capita
633m3: The world’s annual water consumption per capita
545m3: The developing world’s annual water withdrawals per capita
5lbs: Amount of waste each US resident produces per day. That compares with about 3lbs per person per day in Europe, and about 0.9-1.3lbs per person a day in the developing world
$39,710: US Gross National Income per head, 2004
$8,540: World’s GNI per head
$4,450: Developing world’s GNI per head
19.8: US carbon dioxide emissions per capita, in metric tonnes
3.9: World’s carbon dioxide emissions per head, in tonnes
1.8: Developing world’s carbon dioxide emissions per head, in tonnes
58bn: Number of burgers consumed by Americans every year
54m: Number of Americans who are obese
300,000: Deaths per year related to obesity
678lbs: US annual paper consumption per head
115lbs: The corresponding figure for the world
44lbs: The figure for the developing world
204m: number of vehicles on US roads
37%: Percentage of the total cars in the world on America’s roads
1 in 7: Barrels of world oil supply used by US drivers
24m: Number of Americans who drive SUVs
7,921: US energy consumption per capita, 2001, expressed in kilograms of oil
1,631: World’s energy consumption per capita, in kilograms of oil
828: Corresponding figure for the developing world
The question is, is our way of life sustainable? Is it ethical or moral when compared to the rest of the world?
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Thanks, that is a thought-provoking post. I wonder what the % of U.S. population growth is currently attributable to immigration? I have heard that we have a near-zero birth rate, and that practically all our population growth is from immigration. I agree that per capita consumption of resources by Americans is startling. I wonder whether part of the reason immigrants are so eager to come here is so that they want to consume more too. Maybe it’s the dream of many people around the world, even those in Europe and other developed countries, to consume more, but they cannot afford to do so. I just don’t know. One thing I do know is that Hummers are not necessary, except perhaps for soldiers in combat. Do you have views on the interesting questions you raised?
My view on the questions is that our way of life is most certainly not sustainable over the long haul if we continue in the way we are today. We consume as if the Earth’s natural resources were infinite, when they are not. The rest of the world does too, but we do it all out of proportion compared to the rest of the planet.
Of even greater concern is the very bad example we are posing to the “up and coming†economies of China and India. They view our way of life with envy and seek to emulate it. The amount of cars on China’s roads have increased greatly just in the last few years. If the world can hardly sustain one voracious world power it can most certainly not accommodate three.
That kind of ties in to your question about immigrants. Yes much of our growth is from immigration. We, like the rest of the western world, are suffering from a near zero birth rate. Other countries like Japan and Italy are feeling the effects of a greying population far more than we are, and it will become even more painful for them in the future–they do not have the same amount of immigration we do, and that is leading to an inevitable decline for them. As for why they want to come here, I’m sure part of it is to live “la vida Americanaâ€â€¦I know that has drawn at least some of my relatives here from other countries. For others, it can range from being able to make a better living than they could at home, being able to provide for their families, escaping persecution, or what have you.
Back to sustainability…if our way of life is not sustainable, then it is not ethical. If we live for the moment and leave a burned out planet for our descendants then I do not believe that is moral. If we consume 25% of the world’s energy while having only 5% of its population that too is not moral, especially when others are doing without adequate food, water, shelter, and the other byproducts of abundant energy.
I’m an optimist, though, and I believe that technology could or will provide some answers. The use of alternative sustainable energy has exploded in the last couple of years because of high oil prices. Advances that are just over the horizon like nanotubes/nanotechnology will allow far more efficient utilization of sunlight (I’ve seen an estimate that if we could capture 2 days’ worth of the sunlight that falls on Australia it would be enough to power human civilization for a year.) Automakers are quietly perfecting hydrogen/fuel cell technology that results in zero emissions. If we can successfully mass commercialize these technologies, then I have no problems with everyone owning a Hummer if they choose–they just shouldn’t do it at the great cost being exacted against the planet today.
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