Big boom.The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is about to pass a major milestone. The U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census predicts that the nation's population will top 300 million this month. Every year, the number of births and immigrants entering the U.S. dwarfs the number of deaths in the country. As a result, the U.S. population is growing by roughly one person every 10 seconds. That's the fastest growth rate of any industrialized in·dus·tri·al·ize v. in·dus·tri·al·ized, in·dus·tri·al·iz·ing, in·dus·tri·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To develop industry in (a country or society, for example). 2. nation. This population boom may not be cause for celebration. Every person on Earth consumes natural resources such as water and food. In addition, most people use nonrenewable fossil fuels fossil fuel: see energy, sources of; fuel. fossil fuel Any of a class of materials of biologic origin occurring within the Earth's crust that can be used as a source of energy. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. to create energy. A ballooning population drains these resources. An ecological footprint Ecological footprint (EF) analysis measures human demand on nature. It compares human consumption of natural resources with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate them. is an estimate of the area of land and water needed to provide resources to support one person. Individuals in industrialized countries, such as the U.S., tend to use a lot of energy and therefore have a large ecological footprint. The footprint of a U.S. resident is roughly equal to the footprints of how many individuals living in India? |
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