State of the World 2004: Special Focus: The Consumer Society (State of the World)
Adult/High School-From the moment they awake in the morning to bedtime at night, Americans are among the 1.7 billion people who are the megaconsumers, using most of the world's energy and eating almost all highly processed food. Unfortunately, that leaves 2.8 billion people living in poverty, hunger, and on a planet running out of resources. Sponsored by the World Watch Institute, this book should be read by every stakeholder on Earth, who will never take the everyday consumption of industrial products for granted again. Included in the dozens of issues covered is the environmental toll made by the annual production of four trillion plastic trash bags, and luxury foods such as shark-fin soup. The authors also offer thought-provoking solutions for solving the environmental issues presented. Even though it's chock-full of statistics and details, the book is fascinating and flows well. Its focus on the negative aspects of our consumer society, and the resulting excessive consumption will help teens relate to how their individual actions directly affect the global environment. A wonderful book for students interested in environmental issues and to stimulate class discussions.John Kiefman, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.