Limited Resources

Imagine this meal.

There are 10 people who need to be fed. The restaurant that makes the food only produces enough for 10 people. One of them is obese and eats 45% of the food. The second person is also obese and consumes 45% of the meal. These two really do not eat all the food. They give it to their equally over fed pets. The remaining 8 make do with the last 10% of the food. They have not complained so far at this discrepancy since they did not have any money and were happy at getting even those scraps of food.

Of late 7 of the 8 have become modestly wealthy and proportionately hungrier for more food. The restaurateur unfortunately is unable to cook any more food. But he sees that there is demand for his food and decides to double the price. The 7 are capable and willing to pay more money to get a greater share of the food. This is galling to the two obese people. They are irritated that they have to pay twice the amount they were paying for the same food. To add to their woes, the restaurant owner has also told everyone not to be surprised if food prices will triple in the near future. Now these two can no longer provide gourmet food for their pets.

Horrors!!

Now the two, let it not be forgotten, are still very rich. With money comes the ability to buy air time on TV, Radio, and space in Newspapers. They start circulating stories how these poor people are consuming a lot of the food and are causing ridiculous price rise. They get conservative talk shows to rail against the growing consumerism of those 7. They get the liberal media to write about global warming caused by increasing consumption of those 7. They get SPCA to complain about ill treatment and mal-nutrition of the pets.

In general they avoid talking about the real issue - their obesity, their consumption, their greed.

In case you are dense, or I am too cryptic, or both - here is the cast with real names

1. Restaurateur - Oil producers
2. First Obese person - USA
3. Second Obese person - Europe
4. Overfed pets - Monstrously big vehicles, centrally heated and cooled McMansions 200 hundred miles from civilization (and more).
   
5. 7 poor people - China and India
6. Last poor person- Others (Africa)
   

I have never been more irritated by articles in respected newspapers that talk about increasing energy needs in China and India, rising consumption of various commodities and relating it to rising prices and global warming. No one ever mentions even in passing the real number that best describes the quality of life - per capita energy consumption. Well here are some numbers for annual per capita energy consumption in a few countries. See here for a more detailed list.

1. USA - 7794 (this includes me)
   
2. France - 4518
3. Germany - 4203
4. UK - 3918
5. China - 1138
6. India - 512
7. Ghana - 400

What do you think?