Description:
The rich world consumes more and thus produces more waste. The World Bank classification based on gross national income per capita is an indication of the global consumption level. Over the last two decades the world as a whole did not get any richer but China and Indonesia, two densely populated countries, entered the 'middle income world', as defined by the World Bank. Consumer items are available to a growing number of individuals, particularly in the two countries. If they cannot disconnect economic growth from resource depletion and energy use, they will not be able to enjoy their new-found wealth for very long. (the black dots refer to places for photos in the Vital Waste Graphics 2 publication)