300 Million and Counting

US population reached 300 million this morning according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census projection. It took 40 years for the population to go from 200 million (reached in 1967) to 300 million. An article from Reuters early this month showed the impact of US population growth on resources and environment:

• Each American occupies 20 percent more developed land – housing, schools, shopping and roads – than 20 years ago.
• Each American uses three times as much water as the world average; over half the original wetlands in the United States have been lost, mainly due to urban and suburban development and agriculture.
• Half the continental United States can no longer support its original vegetation; nearly 1,000 plant and animal species are listed by the U.S. government as endangered or threatened, with 85 percent of those due to habitat loss or alteration.
• The United States consumes nearly 25 percent of the world’s energy, though it has only 5 percent of the world’s population, and has the highest per capita oil consumption worldwide.
• Each American produces about 5 pounds (2.3 kilogram) of trash a day, up from about 3 pounds (1.4 kilogram) in 1960; the current rate is about five times that in developing countries.