From IPS, via ECONOMY:
China is quickly overtaking the United States as the world’s biggest consumer of global resources, energised by a dynamic economy that is growing at a record pace, says a Washington research group.
“China is no longer just a developing country. It is an emerging economic superpower, one that is writing economic history,” said Lester Brown, founder of the Earth Policy Institute and author of Wednesday’s report. “If the last century was the American century, this one looks to be the Chinese century.”
The report points to China’s increasing consumption patterns and expanding influence on the U.S. economy. Brown says these trends are an early warning that China’s rapid growth could lead to a globally unsustainable use of resources.
