Biologist Garrett Hardin’s “Third Law of Human Ecology” states that the total im

Obvious responses would include cars, other material possessions, trash, and pollution. Americans represent less than 5% of the world’s population, yet we consume a disproportionately large amount of the world’s resources and energy and produce vast amounts of waste. Some students might explain this disparity by pointing out innovation and the production of goods and services.  By about 2031 the per capita GDP of China is projected to equal the per capita GDP of the U.S., meaning that the world’s largest population (if India does not surpass China by 2031, which may well happen) will have about the same impact per person as the U.S. Does the planet possess enough resources?