Consumerism Stats

CON- SUME- RISM STATS $2 80% Western Eurepe Holf the world lives on less than of the population thot lives in North Americo and Western Europe occounts for Nerth Anerica 2 dollars a doy -60% of privote consumption spending Sometimes it can be difficult to visualize just how much we consume. While purchasing "green this" and eco-friendly that is all well and good, one of the root causes of our environmental problems i hyper consumption. We simply buy too much of what we don't really need. So, we leave here some statistics on three major topics of consumerism: food, cars and trash What's in our garbage? From 1892 bo 2002 Wood Plostic Tertiles s is Globol ol production is currently obout 81 million barrels a day and is predicted to foll to 39 million borrels a doy by 2030, due to diminishing Misc Glass Organic woste Poper O Metol Dust ond cinders resources Global cool consumption in 1980 wos 4,129.498 million short tons In 2006, it wos 6,743.786 million short tons. Cool consumption is projected to grou at about 2.5% per year over the next 20 years 1892 1925/26 1966/67 1985/86 2002 EAT LOCAL Y *1 short ton = 907.18474 bilograms The food we cat now typicolly travels between 1,500 and 3,000 miles (rom farm to our dinner plote (olso known as food miles). The distance hod increased by up to 25% between 1980 ond 2001 In 1950, Americons consumed an aueraoge of 144 pounds of meot ond poultry per person, In 2007, thot number rise up to 222 pounds Airplones emit 10 times more CO2 per ton of freight than corgo ships ouer the same distance Not all modes of tronsportation are equal In grams of CO2 emissions per tons of corgo shipped, per km transported Between 2000 and 2005 oround 10 million acres of forests uere tost per year in South America, which incorporates the mighty Amagon forest. The londis cleored primorily for cottle ronches and soybean plantotions. Only 20-25% of Bragilion soybeans ore used domesticolly most is exported Overseas for use in food, textiles and increasingly- cottle feed Contoiner ship THINK ABOUT IT Refrigeroted ship Choosing food thot is Locol and in season Two questions to find out if the product is sustoinoble: "Do you know how these Troin means it does not have to travel so fr. Truck Airplone animals were raised?" Reducing food miles or "Do you know the name and location of effect on reducing the farm where this product was grown?" 300 400 con have o dromatic 100 200 500 corbon dioxide 80% of countries with most cars are in SOMETHING ABOUT CARS emissions North Americo 1950 2009 or Europe Cors by country (million) THINK ABOUT IT $3 million cors S00 million cors Itolu Public tronsportaotion produces 95% less $39 Germony 855 carbon monoxide and Austrio nearty 50% less carbon dioxide and Suitpertond 486 Australio 485 New Zealone million gollons of gos ore saved each year through the use of public transportotion nitrogen oxide per passenger mile than a private vehicte does more than 1 car for every 12 persons Walk, cycle, go by public transport ond use cors as Lite os possible. Cor share, euen if only port of the woy ond occasionolly, to reduce traffic jams, pollution and costs If you have no further use for your cor - toke R to o registered scrop yard or contact your locol council 481 United Stotes 478 7% is whot plostic represents in the household Fronce Post-consumer plastic waste 469 Conodo 459 dustubin 1 car for every s0 persons 5% Belgium 448 7% is recycled 8% others AT LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, PLASTIC World's annual 100 mi plastic consumption (millions) is incinerated Plostics production requires significant quantities of resources, primarily fossil fuels. It is estimoted thot 4% of the world's annuol oil production is used os a feedstock for plostics production. In addition, most of it is non-degrodable. With more and more plostics products being disposed of soon ofter their purchase, the landfiLL spoce required by plastics waste is a growing concern S mi 80% is sent to landfil 1950 2009 MADE BY FLÁVIA MARINHO (www.flickr.com/fmorinho) FOR VISUAL LOOP hitp://uisuoloop tumblr.com SOURCES wosteonline.org /hitp://uuw.ensus gou/ http:/Auuunotionmaster.com/ Visual Loop