That is put here, because I hear so many people complaining "the Chinese" pollute the world more and cause much more harm to the environment than our (western) societies. However, it's our products and by this our pollution - as we choose to buy the cheap product over the more expensive, but supposedly environmentally friedlier product of the local manufacturer.
ysmad statistics -
Consumption and sustainability
Growth and more growth, driven by consumption and more consumption. "For one thing, this system looks like it's fine. No problem. But the truth is it's a system in crisis. And the reason it is in crisis is that it is a linear system and we live on a finite planet and you can not run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely." (from "story of stuff")