>KOFI ANNAN'S ASTONISHING FACTS! > >[from The New York Times, 9/27/98, p. WK16] > >Every year, the United Nations Human Development Report looks >for a new way to measure the lives of people. Putting aside >faceless statistics like per capita gross domestic product or >export-import figures, the report burrows into the facts about >what children eat, who goes to school, whether there is clean >water to drink, how women share in the economy, or who doesn't >get vaccinations against diseases that go on killing even though >they are preventable. This year, the report takes its first >look at what people have--from simple toilets to family >cars--and what proportion of the world's goods and services are >consumed, comparatively, by the rich and by the poor. The pie >is huge--the world's consumption bill is $24 trillion a >year--but some servings are very small indeed. -- Barbara Crossette > >THE HAVES The richest fifth of the world's people consumes 86% >of all goods and services while the poorest fifth consumes just >1.3%. Indeed, the richest fifth consumes 45% of all meat and >fish, 58% of all energy used and 84% of all paper, has 74% of >all telephone lines and owns 87% of all vehicles. > >NATURAL RESOURCES Since 1970, the world's forests have declined >from 4.4 square miles per 1,000 people to 2.8 square miles per >1,000 people. In addition, a quarter of the world's fish stocks >have been depleted or are in danger of being depleted and >another 44% are being fished at their biological limit. > >THE GANGES The Ganges River symbolizes purification to Hindus, >who believe drinking or bathing in its waters will lead to >salvation. But 29 cities, 70 towns, and countless villages >deposit about 345 million gallons of raw sewage a day directly >into the river. Factories add 70 million gallons of industrial >waste and farmers are responsible for another 6 million tons of >chemical fertilizer and 9,000 tons of pesticides. > >THE ULTRA RICH The three richest people in the world have >assets that exceed the combined gross domestic product of the 48 >least developed countries. > >AFRICA The average African household today consumes 20% less >than it did 25 years ago. > >THE SUPER RICH The world's 225 richest individuals, of whom 60 >are Americans with total assets of $311 billion, have a combined >wealth of over $1 trillion--equal to the annual income of the >poorest 47% of the entire world's population. > >COSMETICS AND EDUCATION Americans spend $8 billion a year on >cosmetics--$2 billion more than the estimated annual total >needed to provide basic education for everyone in the world. > >THE HAVE NOTS Of the 4.4 billion people in developing >countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe sewers, a >third have no access to clean water, a quarter do not have >adequate housing, and a fifth have no access to modern health >services of any kind. > >MEAT Americans each consume an average of 260 pounds of meat a >year. In Bangladesh, the average is six and a half pounds. > >THE FUTURE By 2050, 8 billion of the world's projected 9.5 >billion people--up from about 6 billion today--will be living in >developing countries. > >SMOKE Of the estimated 2.7 million annual deaths from air >pollution, 2.2 million are from indoor pollution--including >smoke from dung and wood burned as fuel, which is more harmful >than tobacco smoke. 80% of the victims are rural poor >in developing countries. > >WRISTWATCHES AND RADIOS Two-thirds of India's 90 million >lowest-income households live below the poverty line--but more >than 50% of these impoverished people own wristwatches, 41% own >bicycles, 31% own radios and 13% own fans. > >TELEPHONE LINES Sweden and the United States have 681 and 626 >telephone lines per 1,000 people, respectively. Afghanistan, >Cambodia, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have >one line per 1,000 people. > >ICE CREAM AND WATER Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice >cream--$2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to >provide clean water and safe sewers for the world's population. > >AIDS At the end of 1997 over 30 million people were living with >HIV. With about 16,000 new infections a day--90% in developing >countries--it is now estimated that more than 40 million people >will be living with HIV in 2000. > >LAND MINES More than 110 million active land mines are >scattered in 68 countries, with an equal number stockpiled >around the world. Every month more than 2,000 people are killed >or maimed by mine explosions. > >PET FOOD AND HEALTH Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a >year on pet food--$4 billion more than the estimated annual >additional total needed to provide basic health and nutrition >for everyone in the world. > >$40 BILLION A YEAR It is estimated that the additional cost of >achieving and maintaining universal access to basic education >for all, basic health care for all, reproductive health care for >all women, adequate food for all, and clean water and safe >sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year--or less than 4% of >the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world. > > Regards, Ken Merwin Wisconsin ================================================================== GLD2 is provided world-wide by Rogers University to all interested in distance learning. 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