OK, so we all think ...... a lot, its probably the largest single consumer on the planet as far as nations go.
So how about as much as South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, Spain, Venezuela, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Brazil combined?
Nope, nowhere near.
So what if we also add the consumption of France, Australia, Iran and Italy?
Nope, still nowhere near.
OK, so if we also add Britain, Mexico, Germany and Russia into the equation, we must be getting close?
Nope! Even if you add and Canada, China and Japan into the equation, you still don't get a cumulative figure that reaches the daily gas (petrol) consumption of the USA.
They say a picture paints a thousand words - but this is simply a jaw-dropper. Take a look at the graphic from Treehugger.
Gob-smacking!! As someone who invariably has an opinion on just about anything, as far as this goes I'm, well ......... simply speechless!!
5 comments:
Well, it would be, their gallons are different to ours (just kidding:)
Yesireebub, that is a mighty big discrepancy. Sort of explains the whole sending the troops wherever the juice flows thing, I guess, too.
So, let me be Devil's (or at least Great Satan's) advocate for a change.
I'm not going to excuse anything, as there are none. But let me raise a few points.
First up, I just wonder how much petrol represents in the great hydrocarbon consumption scheme of things.
Next, and this is simply a reason, it is often unfair to equate the facts of living in the USA with many other places. Do consider that one coast to the other is like us going to Turkey. Hence, when transport communications were being laid out 'way back yonder', the car was pretty much the most viable way to get around, to work, to the mall, etc. And when they go, they go a looooong way. As to using 6 inefficient litres to do what 1.8 can do better, well, let's not go there. At least Treehugger is a prick to the conscience from within.
Thing is, and it's not just the US, we have to start relooking at our desire and/or need to travel for work or play. Because when 'we' do, the options are pretty limited.
Sadly, as the richest country on the Earth (on the back of pumping out a lot of noxious goo, most like), persuading them to stay at home and tend the vittles is going to be a tough sell. All that money and no way, or where, to spend it.
I guess we should be grateful that of the 250+M of them, more don't feel the urge to get out more. Unlike a few more elsewhere soon. Once the Chinese start booking up with Wyan Air (so sue me for a stereotypical bit of allusion as sad humour)... because they can... then we may see a comparable difference. Or doesn't kerosene count?
Yee-hah!
OK, In the great hydrocarbon consumption scheme, here are some additional facts and figures that are still something of an eye-opener:-
2006 global oil consumption (covering everything from kerosene, petrol, deisel and heavy bunker fuels etc.) was 83,719 barrels per day (bpd)!
Of that 20,589 bpd was consumed by the USA alone. i.e. 24.59% of global consumption!
The entire Europe & Eurasia group (including the entire EU, the EFTA group, Scandinavia, as well as Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan etc.) consumed 20,482 bpd. (24.47% of global consumption).
As single nations,
China 7,445 bpd (8.89%) and
Japan 5,164 bpd (6.17%)
are the next largest.
USA 20,589 bpd (24.59%)
Where's the UK? We come in at a pretty lowly 1,781 bpd (2.13%)
Regarding your travel point, our Aussie friends travel huge distances in comparison to the americans, yet their consumption is 886 bpd (1.06%) which is lowly in comparison.
It might be better to look at consumption per capita - I'll see if I can find anything.
All figures taken from BP's global consumption statistics (which covers everything from production, to consumption, plus reserves etc.
at the BP Stats Page.
Boy, am I feeling guilty, but then did my playful tweak pay dividends!
For the sake of the non-jargonsitas, can I presume bpd is 'barrels per day?'. 83,719, or 'almost 84,000, or well over 83k', as I'd be inclined to put it (gotta love those stats guys) sounds a lot.
As we are dealing in stats, perhaps as you say a more meaningful one on the shaming front would be bpp (which I just made up, meaning barrels per person). Again to blow mighty wind up B.L.Z.Bubba's exhaust, national consumption is a tad unfair when one continent has about a tenth the population of the other, for sure.
At a third our population, that would make our Oz cousins a tad thirsty, too, I'd estimate, making the ground to cover a possible factor? Bit unfair if you live in Perth and the Sheila is in Sydney... or the city with the Opera House (sorry).
If anything, at least it makes me feel less scummy about 'us'.
OK, here are a few bpp/yr (barrels per person per year) figures that I've calculated. Strangely Singapore wins hands down. I know it is one of the busiest shipping ports and one of the busiest airports in the world too, but that number did surprise me. The rest are pretty much what you might expect.
Singapore 0.06944
USA 0.02520
Australia 0.01605
Greece 0.01480
Japan 0.01472
Germany 0.01158
UK 0.01090
Brazil 0.00411
China 0.00207
Golly, I thought I'd made bpp up!
And this blows my theory out of the water.
You can walk from one end of the country of Singapore to other in a day. If there was ever a place that did not require a car, this was it.
Surely the air and sea port traffic is irrelevant as they do not apply to the domestic useage?
In which case it must be all those satay stalls!
ps: the China figure might make for tricky negotiating at Kyoto 2.
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