Blue Greens: NPR Saddened That Americans Don't Feel Guiltier About Using 'Disproportionate Share' of Planet's Resources

On Thursday’s Morning Edition, NPR science correspondent Richard Harris reported the bad news: Americans don’t feel guilty enough for their rampant overconsumption of planetary resources.

“You might think that Americans, renowned for consuming a disproportionate share of the Earth's resources, would feel the most guilty about using up those resources. Not so, according to a new study,” reported anchor Renee Montagne. NPR relayed the latest findings from a National Geographic project called Greendex:

RICHARD HARRIS: The survey seeks out consumers in 17 nations around the world and asks them to describe how much they drive and fly, how they heat their homes, what kinds of foods they consume, etcetera, and how they feel about all of that. No surprise, Americans consume the most, whereas consumers in poorer nations have a comparatively smaller environmental footprint. But it's the peoples' attitudes that caught the attention of Terry Garcia at National Geographic.




Residents of poorer countries aren’t exactly proclaiming they would forego an American lifestyle:




All this research leaves NPR types a little depressed. But then, if they really wanted to save the planet, everyone could get out of their cars and turn off the radio. Would that really make the radio people happier?

Tim Graham
Tim Graham