BY 2050, ASIA WILL HAVE more than five billion people, while the European Union's share of the global population will decline from nine per cent to five per cent. Annual economic growth in Asia over the past 30 years has averaged five per cent. Its GDP is projected to increase from US$30 trillion to about US$230 trillion by 2050. ....But the planet simply cannot support five billion Asians consuming like Westerners. The earth's regenerative capacity was exceeded more than 30 years ago, and we now use 30 per cent more resources than the planet can sustain. Although we know this to be the case, the vast majority of Western economists and institutions continue to encourage China and India to consume more....The West must realise that its consumption-led economic system has exhausted the world's resources, and that it is not a viable option for most Asian countries, whose governments must employ different political methods to create more equitable societies... Please read more from: http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2012/01/11/3405281.htm
