The Consumption
OECD Consumption vs Millenium development goals.
Planet earth: dying of consumption
- Food transportation across the globe is making a significant contribution to climate change.
Food in the UK travels 65% further than it did two decades ago. - Heinz ketchup eaten in California is made with California-grown tomatoes shipped to Canada for processing and returned in bottles.
- In one year, the port of New York City exported $431,000 of California almonds to Italy, and imported $397,000 of Italian almonds to the US.
- In 2004, the UK imported 17,200 tonnes of chocolate-covered wafers and exported 17,600; imported 43,993 tonnes of potatoes whilst exporting 85,652; and imported 25,720 tonnes of milk and cream, only to export 27,125 at the same time.
posted by Nick at 2:30 pm
5 Comments:
The free market at its best... I think the "invisible hand" has it in for the human race... Do we have any chance against our own tendancy to destroy ourselves?
I can see the path you are walking down brother... check out:
http://www.odemagazine.com/
http://www.adbusters.org/home/
For more of the NI vibe... athough I always found NI a bit simplistic and naive... Rationality is pefect though impractical... People just are too selfish to change without the iron fist of government forcing them to...
Friday, January 12, 2007 5:27:00 pm
It will be interesting to see whether consumers get to the point of not only accepting but championing a system that represents the true cost of goods and in particular the environmental impact of those goods.
I think in some ways consumers are forcing companies to think green and there are some positive steps happening (well companies are at least attempting to look green), but it is going to take a lot more than the periphial changes that are happening now for anyone to accept a system that leavys the environmental cost onto goods.
Very interesting times ahead - but I dont think all is lost and the free market with some help may get there???
Friday, January 12, 2007 7:29:00 pm
No ideology or rationality in that info - just some stats.
After watching some more TV here in Australia I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the world is doomed. The blatant money and material possession obsession that is promoted and glamourised by the commercial channels is nauseating - news bulletins are the worst - advertising 'cool' new iPhones and David Beckhams fantastic new $300m deal with a US soccer team - "imagine having that much money" so many people wonder enviously as they think of big houses, nice clothes, gadgets and convenience machines they could buy - 'wouldn't it be nice'.
Bile rushes to the back of my throat and I have to choke it down when I think of our pathetic desire for money, comfort, security and 'nice things'.
I was drawing Heather a very rough timeline to the history of planet earth this afternoon - that tiny speck of almost undrawable time in which mankind has inhabited earth is testament to our self-aggrandising, centre of the universe, out of control ego that is the root of all things bad in life - eg. religion (which is really just another form of consumerism - which brand of religion should I choose? Whichever my parents told me was the best one - they haven't needed to trade it in for a new one yet, have they?
Friday, January 12, 2007 9:31:00 pm
Gotta agree on the Beckham thing - its an absolute joke.
I get annoyed when I hear people being envious of that sort of money and dreaming about what they could spend it on - a buttler, a Ferrari, a chef etc......what a waste of time. Hows about doing something worthwhile - like helping the millions and millions of people in worse positions than they are.
Amanda and I were actually having the religion discussion the other day when we were walking down as street in London with a number of fancy looking churches - each one trying to out do the next. It seems consuerism permiates all forms of our lifes. I think the only way to escape it is to head bush and become self sufficient.
Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:22:00 am
The figures on food transportation might say more if compared to the total consumption of each good in the US, but they are a bit meaningless to me as they are and they seem to be pretty misleading. For example, I imagine $400k of almonds is probably a miniscule amount compared to the total consumed in Italy, California or the US. It is not that suprising that there is some overlap and duplication in a free-market system, I don't think that means any other system would be better or the system is fundamentally flawed.
The figures on the Millenium Goals are a bit more disturbing though...
JS
Monday, January 15, 2007 9:24:00 am
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