Sky-High Global Consumption Stoking Environmental, Security Concerns

People are gobbling up more food, material goods, and natural resources than ever before and the worldwide pursuit of prosperity is stoking environmental and security problems, according to a new report on trends shaping the planet's future.

Increased production and consumption of everything from grain and meat to oil and cars reflects strong economic growth in 2004, says ''Vital Signs 2005'' from the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Worldwatch Institute.

But the social and environmental costs of economic growth go largely unnoticed, the report says. These include pollution, ecosystem degradation, and a growing divide between those who gain from economic growth and those who do not.

''We have by no means freed ourselves from the material world and its persistent threats,'' said Christopher Flavin, Worldwatch's president.

The study highlights the example of China, which it describes as ''a global force that is driving consumption and production of almost everything through the roof.''

Oil consumption in the world's most populous nation surged by 11 percent last year to 6.6 million barrels a day, fueling the fastest rate of increase in world oil consumption in 16 years.
(OneWorld.net)