A thought provoking article.
If you think 8 elephants' worth of stuff is too much, you're right | Ensia
"How much raw material does it take to support you? If you’re an average African, about 3 metric tons (3.3 tons) — the equivalent of an elephant’s worth of biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and nonmetallic minerals — per year. But if you’re an average North American, make that a whopping eight elephants.
And those elephants are getting heftier. Even as a growing population puts more pressure on Earth’s resources, we’re becoming less efficient in our use of raw materials — essentially using more than ever to generate a specific amount of economic activity."
It is often easier to point out the problem than it is to find systemic solutions. A good starting point it seems would be a recognition that social, environmental, ethical and economic issues are in fact interconnected.
If you think 8 elephants' worth of stuff is too much, you're right | Ensia
"How much raw material does it take to support you? If you’re an average African, about 3 metric tons (3.3 tons) — the equivalent of an elephant’s worth of biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and nonmetallic minerals — per year. But if you’re an average North American, make that a whopping eight elephants.
And those elephants are getting heftier. Even as a growing population puts more pressure on Earth’s resources, we’re becoming less efficient in our use of raw materials — essentially using more than ever to generate a specific amount of economic activity."
It is often easier to point out the problem than it is to find systemic solutions. A good starting point it seems would be a recognition that social, environmental, ethical and economic issues are in fact interconnected.