Saturday, September 3, 2011

Myth: The poor deplete resources



Reality: Natural resource depletion depends on two factors: the number of consumers, and the rate and pattern of consumption. If everyone consumes the same quantity of natural resources then the total use or exploitation of natural resources would depend on numbers only.

And the poor being more in number would cause greater damage. But the consumption rates of rich individuals/countries are far higher than that of poor, be it food or natural resources such as water, petroleum, forest produce etc.

The richest 20 per cent consume up to 70 per cent of the world s resources, while the poorest 20 per cent hardly get 10 per cent. It is estimated that a child born to a rich family consumes 30 to 50 times more resources than a child born to a poor family. So who is really degrading the environment? Not the poor, of course.

Read More here:Jeene Ki Asha