Worth A Look
Statistics
“There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Mark Twain
Environment
- “Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world’s population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning — by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India and Japan, combined.” Natural Resource Defense Council
- “For many resources, the United States of America is the world’s largest consumer in absolute terms. For a list of 20 major traded commodities, it takes the greatest share of 11 of them: corn, coffee, copper, lead, zinc, tin, aluminum, rubber, oil seeds, oil and natural gas.” American Assoc. for Advancement of Science
Consumerism and Money Matters
- “A century ago, Americans spent 43 percent of their incomes on food and another 14 percent on clothing. By 2002, those shares were 13 percent and 4 percent. Meanwhile, family incomes (after inflation) had tripled. Filling the spending gaps are all the things we take for granted - cars, TVs, travel, telephones, the Internet. Home ownership has zipped from about 20 percent to almost 70 percent of households.” Robert J. Samuelson, “The Economix Mega-Worry,” Newsweek, January 8, 2007
- “The salty snack business is now a $22 billion industry in the United States. Estimated annual sales of snacks in the United States in 2002: Potato chips:$5.9 billion; Tortilla chips:$4.5 billion; Pretzels: $1.3 billion.” Patrick Walters, Champaign-Urbana News Gazette, March 26,2004, D-2.“In 2000 American toy sales reached $23 billion.” “Vintage Toy Maker Trying to Regain its Punch,” Champaign-Urbana News Gazette, 7/8/01, C-4.
- The retail dollar value of U.S. carbonated soft drink sales was $72 billion in 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN1221755220080312
- 3 billion people in the world live on less than two dollars a day. - Ronald Sider, Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger. Word Pub., 1997. p. 7.
- 7 out of 10 couples admit financial issues are their most common conflict. USA Today, Snapshots
Health
- Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows that 34% of the United States population meets the criteria for obesity. The United Kingdom comes in next with 24%, with France having obesity rates at 11%, Italy at 10% and Japan 4%. USA Today, Snapshots, May 27, 2009. Front page.