A new Earth Policy Institute report concludes that China now consumes more raw materials than the United States, at least as far as meat , steel, coal, and grain are concerned. The US still dominates oil consumption, for the time being. Although consumer consumption overall is still lower in China than the US, the number of consumer computers sold in China is doubling every 24 months (that's almost Moore's law in effect!) and some goods such as TVs, cell phones, and refrigerators, are bought by more Chinese than Americans. This affirms the dual trend of China serving as the manufacturing center for the rest of the world and using this position to develop the consumer class of its own society. China's economy expanded by half a point shy of 10% last year. Not bad for a bunch of commies.
The report declares that China is no longer a developing country but is best considered an emerging economic superpower.
Of course, there is quite a bit of trouble in paradise. It is estimated that 3/4 of city water is unfit for drinking and 2/3 of Chinese cities exist in a haze of air pollution. China is consuming timber at a voracious rate, contributing to epidemic deforestation throughout Asia.
Guess the freedom to set policies however you want, independent of your population's demands and desires, isn't any better at avoiding running one's society into the ground than forking it over to the free market. Fucking commies.
The baton of supremacy and the title of the most powerful and influential has been passed from nation to nation, East to West, since the beginning of civilization, and it is being passed on to Asia now. Unfortunately, the current US government will undoubtedly see this as a threat and are likely to respond with the big guns. Taiwan's relationship with the motherland and its status as the only Democracy borne from and in defiance of a Communist takeover are just another vector in the dynamic that is likely to bring us on a collision course with China.
War with China seems so unlikely today that I'll be scoffed at for predicting it. But in 20, 30, 40 years from now when India, China, and the United States are each consuming more resources than the Earth will be able to produce, something is going to have to give. Be it water, oil, or something else, there are likely to be pretty nasty resource wars in the future.
Just more reasons why we need to develop cheap renewable energy sources. Not sure what to do about materials for all the shit we want to buy though.
Posted by Nutrimentia at February 17, 2005 08:19 PM | TrackBack