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US Population to Top 300 Million

An anonymous reader writes "The number of Americans will surpass 300 million this month, a milestone that raises environmental impact questions for the only major industrial nation whose population is increasing substantially. The US census bureau says the 300 million mark will be reached 39 years after US population topped 200 million and 91 years after it exceeded 100 million. That makes US the third most populous country behind china and india. It is noteworthy that sheer number of human beings do not necessarily have the heaviest impact on the environment. Instead environmental impact is a calculation that involves population, affluence and technology. The US consumes nearly 25% of the world's energy though it has only 5% of the world's population and has the highest per capita oil consumption worldwide. Each American produces about 2.3 kg of trash a day, a rate about 5 times that in developing countries."

5 of 792 comments (clear)

  1. Grammar Nazi Time by Rethcir · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This one has the worst grammar ever.

  2. Re:Population of America? by Cutie+Pi · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I love the people who always get into a hissy fit about the US of A being called America.

    As another poster stated, there is no continent named America. Furthermore, the common understanding around the world is that "America" refers to the United States. People who bitch about it are just begging for attention, in a pedantic sort of way: Look at me!! I'm so smart and you're all so stupid! It's the USA, not America!!

    Duly noted, fuckheads. Now go form an opinion that actually matters.

  3. Re:Population of America? by tygerstripes · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    The article stated that there will be 300m Americans. What is the collective noun for those who inhabit the Americas? Err...

    Absolutely, Americans can mean US citizens, but it can also mean continental residents. I wasn't saying that everyone is "so stupid!" (and why you seem to have taken it so personally is puzzling), nor that the article poster is stupid. I wasn't even saying the article was wrong! I was pointing out that it was ambiguous and should perhaps have been composed more carefully, in the interests of clarifying debate, albeit a slightly fatuous thing to point out.

    Now, get down off the roof, wipe the foam from your mouth, and have a good think about why you reacted so badly.

    --
    Meta will eat itself
  4. Re:Gratuitous US Bashing Increases Pagehits by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Because people in the rest of the world are really not the same as people in the west.

    Really.

    Check this out :
    http://rantsand.blogspot.com/2006/09/observations- on-arabs.html

  5. Re:Population of America? by drsmithy · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    I was pointing out that it was ambiguous and should perhaps have been composed more carefully, in the interests of clarifying debate, albeit a slightly fatuous thing to point out.

    It's not an ambiguous reference in context.