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Data Points: Planetary Stress

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For its State of the World 2006 report, the Worldwatch Institute focuses on China and India. The U.S. still consumes the most resources per capita, but if China and India were to catch up, then the resources from a second planet Earth would be needed to sustain the two economies.

Gross domestic product per person in:

China: $4,600


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India: $2,500

Europe: $26,900

Japan: $29,400

U.S.: $40,100

Barrels of oil used per person every year in:

China: 1.9

India: 0.9

U.S.: 25.3

Kilograms of grain consumed per person in 2005 in:

China: 292

India: 173

Europe: 561

Japan: 354

U.S.: 918

Ecological footprint

* per person in hectares in:

China: 1.6

India: 0.8

Europe: 4.7

Japan: 4.8

U.S.: 9.7

*Ecological footprint refers t areas with significant photosynthetic activity or biomass accumulation.

SOURCE: State of the World 2006

Scientific American Magazine Vol 294 Issue 3This article was published with the title “Data Points” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 294 No. 3 (), p. 32
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0306-32a

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