Modern capitalist development is characterized by mass production fuelled by
mass consumption. The problem lies in consumption being misguided by
corporations for profit maximization.
Take the US for example, where households have on average more than three
cars, and every individual purchases seven pairs of shoes a year. Americans on
the whole consume 6.5 times the global average of resources.
Our population is four times that of the US. Multiply their ecological
footprint by four and you will begin to grasp the reality that this is a
consumption pattern to which China simply cannot aspire.
Even for the US, this consumption leads to a private and public debt burden
of over US$145,000 per head, negative savings and trillions of US dollars of
fiscal and foreign exchange deficits.
Currently this country has to suck in US$2 billion per day from all over the
world to satisfy its spending habits. This is clearly unsustainable, even for
the US.
Moreover, the US is totally unable to get rid of its expensive addiction,
whilst other countries do not seriously want them to do so. If they should halve
that number of consumer goods, many factories will be in great trouble.
However, in China's cities we are consuming more like the Americans now. We
consume a lot more protein in our diet, leading to a general rise in obesity
among the population, and a subsequent increase in diabetes, hypertension and
coronary diseases. Even the US government is beginning to promote the "food
pyramid", urging its citizens to eat more grains, fruits and vegetables in their
meals.
We Chinese have never developed an eating habit like this before, and we
should quit it right now before it is too late. Reverting to our traditional
eating habit will conserve countless farmland and reduce a lot of imports.
We also emulate the Americans in promoting private car ownership. This is of
course good news to the automotive industry, but the result is terrible traffic
jams in the cities, air pollution, and rising oil imports even in the face of
skyrocketing prices.
Hong Kong does not have the car industry interest to serve. Its car ownership
is among the lowest in comparable income level cities, and it has very few
traffic jams. People can travel to most destinations in the territory by rail
and other public transport, and the suburbs are linked with bicycle lanes for
commuting.
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