I've been digging and I found some numbers that I thought were pretty cool.
Is this another one of your numerical nerdfests, Dex?
Yes. I mean No. Maybe. Oh, just look:
- The USA contains 5% of the world's population
- The USA uses 25% of the world's oil
- The USA makes 25% of the world's greenhouse gases
Did you get that? We're kinda small when you look at the whole planet, but we're the worst polluters!
Coincidence. Pure coincidence.
How about this?
- Electricity used by the USA each year: 4 trillion kilowatts
- Gasoline used by the USA each year: 143 billion gallons
I have absolutely no idea what a kilowatt is but a trillion sounds BIG. Anyway, aren't there special cars now that use less gas? I was going to start nagging Dad to get one. It's on my "To Nag" List.
Hybrids, yes. But start nagging because look at this:
- 23 SUVs sold for every 1 hybrid car sold
23 SUVs? That would be a terrific little fleet for me. I like the way you think, Dex. Clever boy.
That's not exactly what I meant. Anyway, check out these water numbers. Every time you eat a steak you're using up a swimming pool's worth of water!
- Gallons of water needed (for grain etc.) to produce one steak: 26,000
- Population of the world without access to clean water: 17%
- Wasted water from a slowly dripping faucet, gallons per year: 300
Okay, okay. I'll get that faucet fixed.
Alright, I'm done. I gotta go lie down.
Are we really going to end this page with Dad fixing a faucet? It's kind of an anticlimax.
You want more numbers? Here's more numbers:
- Number of times Izz asked for a pony when she was five: 122
- Number of ponies Izz ever owned: 0
It was just as well, I guess. We lived in an apartment. Prince Caspian would have been pretty squished in there.
Tell us what numbers rock YOUR world.
Sources:
National Park Service, EPA, International Office of Science Education, US Geological Survey, Population Reference Bureau, Population Research Council, New York Times, National Geographic Society, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Worldwatch Institute, Wall Street Journal, US Census Bureau.
