Sometimes quotes just speak for themselves. Have a read:
"The average per-person consumption rate in the first world of metal and oil and natural resources is 32 times that of the developing world,” says Diamond. “That means that one American is consuming like 32 Kenyans.” The problem is not the number of Kenyans, the problem is when Kenyans or, more pressingly, big developing countries such as China, gain the ability to consume like Americans.
via FT.com / Columnists / Lunch with the FT - Lunch with the FT: Jared Diamond.
But he's wrong isn't he? There's a real right-here-and-now problem and its consequences will be felt - as the IPCC would attest to - even if Kenyans continue to consume like present-day Kenyans, Chinese like Chinese and Americans like Americans. Sure, a rise in consumption amongst the world's poor will make the crisis much worse, but if they stayed poor 'the problem' would emerge anyway.
And of course, the negative consequences of Americans consuming like Americans are far more likely to fall on Kenyans than they are on Americans.
Hi Ciarán, thanks for the comment, the problem of environmentally damaging consumption levels getting higher and higher is only wrong if you consider that at some point we'll reach a limit to any kind of consumption level as high as Diamon imagines. That might come through the good old fashioned price mechanism. Who know? I agree though that in the short term, African necks are more likely to feel the burden than American necks!