Part Four, Issue 9

Bringing the World to the U.S. Standard of Living

Objectives

After reading the assigned chapter and reviewing the materials presented the students will be able to understand:•The relationship between U.S. oil consumption and our standard of living.•Would bringing the world to the U.S. standard of living be compatible with the principles of sustainability?

Standard of Living Estimates

• We can estimate the country’s standard of living by dividing the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) by a country’s population to arrive at the per capita GDP.

• The U.S. 2005 GDP was $12,500 billion and the 2005 population was approximately 293 million.

• The global economic product (GEP) in 2005 was approximately $59,500 billion and global population was approximately 6.4 billion.

Using Oil Consumption to Estimate Living Standards

• For 2005, global oil production was nearly 85 million barrels per day, and the United States consumed nearly 21 million barrels per day.

• Oil provides roughly half of the total U.S. energy supply and virtually all of its transportation fuel.

• The intensive farming techniques of the developed countries use massive amounts of energy for fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and for machines.

Living Standard

• Quality of life is a more reasonable living standard and includes:

• Clean drinking water and unpolluted air.• Access to quiet and solitude, especially in densely populated

cities.• Alternatives to automobiles and clogged roads in making

transportation decisions.• Access to quality medical care at reasonable prices.• A job that pays a “living wage”.• A safe, low crime environment.• A relatively secure old age.

Transporting Petroleum

• Petroleum is transported by two ways, by oil tanker or by pipeline.

• Most of the world’s oil available for export comes from the enormous fields of the Middle East.

• Each year “normal” leaks and spills from tankers and terminals dump 250,000 barrels of oil in the Persian Gulf.

Summary• We can estimate the country’s standard of living by dividing the country’s GDP

(gross domestic product) by a country’s population to arrive at the per capita GDP.• For 2005, global oil production was nearly 85 million barrels per day, and the

United States consumed nearly 21 million barrels per day.• Quality of life is a more reasonable living standard and includes: Clean drinking

water and unpolluted air. Access to quiet and solitude, especially in densely populated cities. Alternatives to automobiles and clogged roads in making transportation decisions. Access to quality medical care at reasonable prices. A job that pays a “living wage”. A safe, low crime environment. A relatively secure old age.

• Most of the world’s oil available for export comes from the enormous fields of the Middle East. Each year “normal” leaks and spills from tankers and terminals dump 250,000 barrels of oil in the Persian Gulf.

Home Work

• 1. What was the U.S. oil consumption relative to the world oil consumption in 2005?

• 2. What does a reasonable living standard include?