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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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Joined: 14 May 2002
Posts: 17305
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 Posted: 07/14/05 - 08:54 Post subject: world population stats
I found this very enlightening...a friend of mine passed it along (probably illegally) from one of her meetings, but I'll say she works in oil and gas, these were stats they were working with.
| Quote: | Worldwide population reached 6 billion in 1999. It is projected to
reach 7
billon in 2013. We are adding 78 million people each year, the
equivalent
of a city the size of San Francisco every three days.
The richest 20 percent of humanity consumes 86 percent of all goods and
services, while the poorest fifth consumes just 1.3 percent.
Only 17% of the world's population lives in industrialized countries.
1.2
billion people worldwide are living on $1.00 a day or less.
Two billion people still live without any form of modern energy.
Improved
health care, education and communication requires access to modern
energy.
Americans constitute five percent of the world's population but consume
24
percent of the world's energy. On average, one American consumes as
much
energy as 2 Japanese, 6 Mexicans, 12 Chinese, 26 Indians, 26
Pakistanis,
and 80 Bangladeshis.
China's population is 1.3 billion while India's population is 1.1
billion.
China's energy use is up to 5.3 boe per person per year. India's energy
usage is 2.5 boe per person per year. US energy usage is 64.3 boe per
person per year. Europe is 50.9 and Japan is 32.8.
China has become the 2nd largest consumer of oil. Automobile ownership
has
just started to soar.
Worldwide demand for energy (oil & natural gas) will continue to grow!
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Pug
The Movie Geek
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Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Posts: 8924
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Posted: 07/14/05 - 09:22 Post subject:
For years those stats bothered me, but I was thinking about it this morning and while it is a little worrysome, they actually make quite a bit of sense today beyond "wasteful Americans".
If so little of the world is industrialized and America is so much more industrialized (and larger, too, if we were the size of Poland it would be a different story) with a wider range of resources, it only makes sense that we use so many more resources than the rest of the world. Look at the size of America and the bounty (did I just use that word?) that is provided within our borders. Coal, Nat Gas, Timber, Oil, fresh and salt water, fertile soil. It makes sense that America will use these resources rather than having a third world nation halfway across the world attempt to utilize our water power and nat gas.
If a Bangladeshi consumed as much energy as an American either we are using too little or Bangladesh just developed incredibly quickly and may not be able to sustain itself.
This isn't to say that it is good or bad that we consume so much more energy than the rest of the world, but I wouldn't expect a farmer in Venezuala to use the energy of a country which has such an urban population like America. Even our rural areas are urban.
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RexRacer
Member
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Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 814
Location: A pancake house of ineffable crappiness
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Posted: 07/14/05 - 09:46 Post subject:
Pug,
I agree with your comments but I still find it a bit worrisome. Missing from those stats Cheryl was the amount of energy consumed by the average European, taken as a whole continent, and I've seen it before but we use alot more energy than they do, and they're pretty industrialized and have lots of conveniences too.
But the biggest issue is the rise of China and India. Why is my gas now $2.45 a gallon? A large reason is that China is sucking up resources like nobody's business and that comsumption grows through the roof each year. Not saying that they don't deserve stuff--only that resources are pretty finite and there is only so much to go around.
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Pug
The Movie Geek
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Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Posts: 8924
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Posted: 07/14/05 - 09:54 Post subject:
| RexRacer wrote: | Pug,
I agree with your comments but I still find it a bit worrisome. Missing from those stats Cheryl was the amount of energy consumed by the average European, taken as a whole continent, and I've seen it before but we use alot more energy than they do, and they're pretty industrialized and have lots of conveniences too.
But the biggest issue is the rise of China and India. Why is my gas now $2.45 a gallon? A large reason is that China is sucking up resources like nobody's business and that comsumption grows through the roof each year. Not saying that they don't deserve stuff--only that resources are pretty finite and there is only so much to go around. |
China, and India (if it ever really industrializes itself) will probably end up forcing the issue of new energy sources and driving change sooner than it would have happened it is was just the US using all the energy.
And I'm about to start looking on the google pedometer to see just how far it would be to bike to work and how long that might take me and if it would be worth it to buy a bike. Well, that and looking for a new job closer to home (and I'm less than 30 miles away by highway)
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tdassow
Member
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Joined: 18 Jun 2004
Posts: 198
Location: Way up North...
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Posted: 07/19/05 - 02:30 Post subject:
I've seen those before. It makes me thankful to live here in one hand, and the other I feel like a glutton.
My opinion is that the US needs to conserve, research, and educate the rest of the world to bring them up to our standard of living. This I mean, health care, human rights, education, etc.
It is important not to fall into us against them. We have to keep the rest of the world down to maintain our standard of living. With the right effort the entire world can enjoy our standard of living, perhaps more so. It is not a zero-sum world. But I ramble on.....
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