My thoughts regarding population impact and consumption of resources are supported in a recent text I have been reading; Visualizing Environmental Science. A developed nation has a much greater responsibility to maintain sustainability than a developing one, as those developed nations have a significantly greater impact on the use of resources.
People in highly developed countries are extravagant and wasteful consumers; their use of resources is greatly out of proportion to their numbers. A single child born in a highly developed country such as the United States causes a greater impact on the environment and on resource depletion than perhaps 20 children born in a developing country. Many natural resources are needed to provide the automobiles, air conditioners, disposable diapers, cell phones, DVD players, computers, clothes, newspapers, athletic shoes, furniture, books, and other “comforts” of life in highly developed nations. Thus, the disproportionately large consumption of resources by the United States and other highly developed countries affects natural resources and the environment as much as or more than the population explosion in the developing world.If the United States continues toward a financial collapse, it's ability to consume a disproportionate amount of available resources will reduce significantly, to the benefit of those developing or underdeveloped nations. A situation like this could be a positive aspect of collapse that I had not previously considered.
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