As Global Consumption Skyrockets, 'Full Footprint' Felt by Millions

[polly7]

Published on
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
by Common Dreams

'Our consumption choices affect more than ourselves—they affect the environment and the lives and livelihoods of millions.'
byDeirdre Fulton, staff writer

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"As consumers, we influence the landscapes and lives of those who live near the extraction, manufacturing, disposal, and other impacts of the products we use every day." (Photo: The Searcher/flickr/cc)

Even as inequality and temperatures soar around the world, global consumption—a driving force behind economic and climate crises alike—has skyrocketed to levels never before experienced on Earth, according to a new analysis from the Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues.

This year's Vital Signs report, released Tuesday, tracks key trends in the environment, agriculture, energy, society, and the economy. It shows that "from coal to cars to coffee, consumption levels are breaking records."

Yet "consumers often do not know the full footprint of the products they are buying, such as the embedded water in a t-shirt or steak, the pesticide exposure of cotton farmers, or the local devastation caused by timber companies cutting down forests to produce paper," said Michael Renner, Vital Signs project director.

Indeed, writes Worldwatch Institute's Gaelle Gourmelon, "our consumption choices affect more than ourselves—they affect the environment and the lives and livelihoods of millions. ..........."

Full article: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/09/15/global-consumption-skyrockets-full-footprint-felt-millions


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