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Science 4 April 1997:
Vol. 276. no. 5309, pp. 53 - 55
DOI: 10.1126/science.276.5309.53
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Policy Forum

Norman Myers

Consumption cannot persist in its present patterns and forms. This is apparent with respect to, for example, the many consumer products dependent on artificially cheap fossil-fuel energy, which is the single largest source of global warming. There are many ways to shift consumption toward less resource-intensive and polluting types, hence to constrain it rather than restrain it. Moreover, this will often lead to increased quality of life. The way ahead can be illuminated by a clearer scientific understanding of what drives consumption.

The author is at Green College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.

Volume 276, Number 5309, Issue of 4 April 1997, pp. 53-55
©1997 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)