So I have just spent a good bit of time researching the facts that form the empirical basis of your midterm projects. Obviously, when it comes to global resource statistics, you see different figures, but I have decided to go with the most conservative estimates and figures, which are still rather startling. Of course, the exact figures are not the point of the project: any way you slice it, our country is using a far higher percentage of resources than the percentage of population. The key to your midterm is how you analyze this theologically. So that you can focus on this task, here are some stats that you can use. The first one does not deal with overall "resources" but is focused on energy. Still, it seemed to be the figure most often agreed upon.
Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy.
The richest 10 percent of Americans (about 30 million people) have an income greater than the poorest 43 percent of the world's people (2 billion)
On average, one American consumes as much energy as
6 Mexicans
13 Chinese
31 Indians
128 Bangladeshis
370 Ethiopians
Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day - that's roughly 200 billion more than needed - enough to feed 80 million people.
Eighty percent of the U.S. corn grown and 95% of the oats are fed to livestock.
Fifty-six percent of available farmland is used for beef production.
Every day an estimated nine square miles of rural land are lost to development.
As you work on your theological responses (in the prophetic style, through a parable, and in Compendium-style), if you have any questions, just post a comment here or email me.
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