A joint statement by the Royal Society and the United States National Academy of Sciences sees an urgent need for better understanding of human consumption and related behaviours and technologies, so that effective action may be taken to expedite the transition to a sustainable, desirable life for the world's people in the coming century. What matters is not only the present and future number of people in the world, but also how poor or affluent they are, how much natural resources they utilise and how much pollution and waste they generate.
