The New Consumers or Project Managing E Learning

The New Consumers: The Influence of Affluence on the Environment

Author: Norman Myers

"The environmental analyst Norman Myers and his coauthor Jennifer Kent here concentrate not on nations like the United States but on the stunning increase in what they term "new consumers" - people in developing and transition nations who have achieved sufficient affluence to enjoy middle class lifestyles, including buying cars, eating meat regularly, and using a host of household electrical appliances. Even in the midst of great inequity, these New Consumers have already gained purchasing power equal to that of the United States, and the cumulative impact on the environment is enormous." "Myers and Kent have distilled the results of their remarkable research to reveal the patterns of increasing consumption in twenty developing and transition nations, with particular attention to China and India, whose surging economies and large populations account for much of the recent exceptional growth in humanity's ecological footprint. New Consumers generally have been following a path established in long-developed nations of needlessly overusing limited natural resources. As the authors document, this course is clearly unsustainable on a world scale. When India's economy doubled, its air pollution rose eightfold. Were each person in China to consume as much grain-fed beef as today's average American, it would require more grain than the entire U.S. harvest." If the developed nations have set a dangerous precedent by overconsuming, innovative policies offer some reason for hope. China, for example, has now written sustainable consumption into law and begun promoting it through economic incentives and education programs. Drawing on such examples, Myers and Kent outline an alternative path. Through a combination of lifestyle changes, policy reforms, and technological innovation around the globe, a decent and enduring standard of living could be available to everyone.

Library Journal

"We are witnessing one of the biggest revolutions in history," write environmental activists Myers and Kent about the unprecedented consumer boom occurring in developing countries. New consumers (about one billion!) aspire to a Western lifestyle that includes more cars, more household appliances, and much more meat consumption. The authors focus on China and India, where recent economic growth has led to a surging demand for consumer goods. But this affluence comes at a price namely, a wide array of environmental problems. Perhaps the only way to avoid an eventual global disaster, say the authors, is for U.S. society to set an example by radically changing its ways and moving toward a sustainable, ecologically sound way of life. Given the indications of widespread global scarcity, pollution, and disease, recommending a voluntary lifestyle change seems to fall short. But the authors succeed at describing the problems and offering at least some hope and guidance. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Ilse Heidmann, Washington State Lib., Olympia Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents:

I	Who are the new consumers?	3
II	Cars : driving us backwards?	25
III	Meat : juicy steaks and hidden costs	38
IV	Further resource linkages : household electricity, eco-footprints, and human numbers	51
V	China : a giant awake and roaring	66
VI	India : the second "biggie"	82
VII	The big picture of 20 countries	93
VIII	Sustainable consumption : where do we find It?	120
IX	Sustainable consumption : how to get from here to there	132
App. A	GNI and its shortcomings	147
App. B	Four outlier countries	149

Book about: New York Times Seafood Cookbook or Twelve Months of Monastery Salads

Project Managing E-Learning

Author: Bill Shackelford

Launching and managing a successful e-learning project is much easier when you use the proven steps and strategies in this practical guide. Learn how to avoid technical issues that can bring an e-learning project to a halt. Includes hands-on exercises and worksheets.