The New Consumers

The Influence Of Affluence On The Environment

While overconsumption by the developed world's roughly one billion inhabitants is an abiding problem, another one billion increasingly afflu"new consumers" in developing countries will place additional strains on the earth's resources, argue authors Norman Myers and Jennifer Kin this important new book. The New Consumers examines the environmental impacts of this increased consumption, with particular focus on two commodities -- cars and meat -- that stand to have the mfar-reaching effects. It analyzes consumption patterns in a number of differcountries, with special emphasis on China and India (whose surging economies, as well as their large populations, are likely to account for exceptional growth in humanity's ecological footprint), and surveys big-picture issues such as the globalization of economies, consumer goods, and lifestyles. Ultimately, according to the orman Myers and Jennifer Kent, the challenge will be for all of humanity to transition to sustainable levels of consumption, for it is unrealistic to expect "new" consumers not to aspire to be like the "old" ones. Cogin its analysis, The New Consumers issues a timely warning of a major and developing environmental trend, and suggests valuable strategies for ameliorating its effects.