News with numbers

I enjoyed many things in England last week. Time with my parents, siblings and their families, of course. Great food – anyone who says British cuisine isn’t delicious simply doesn’t know where to eat or what to choose. Arriving at bus stops and train stations without checking the schedule, knowing one would arrive within ten minutes. Glorious summer weather, with sunset at 10 p.m. and 45 minutes of twilight after that.

And newspapers with enough information to keep a person reading for hours, not just a quick skim. I wish I could reproduce more of it here, with their visual aids such as charts and diagrams that help readers understand. Here are some numbers I found interesting, though:

From The Guardian, June 1, 2007:

* Carbon dioxide emissions in the United States are generated 21% by natural gas, 37% by coal, and 42% by gasoline.
* Of worldwide consumption of 84m barrels of oil per day, the US uses 20.8m.
* The US produces 21% of the world’s Carbon dioxide emissions; India, only 4%.

From the Sunday Telegraph, June 3, 2007:

* Countrywide recycling rates –
Switzerland 60%
Germany 57%
United States 32%
United Kingdom 27%
Singapore less than 20%, however 90% of garbage there is incinerated for generation of electricity.

For comparison, the City of Portland’s recycling rate is currently estimated at 63%.

* Luxembourg has the highest per capita Carbon dioxide emissions rate, at 23.6 (sorry, I forgot to write down the units). The US is next at 20.0, followed by the Czech Republic at 12.4 and the UK at 9.4. China’s per capita rate is 3.2, Brasil’s 1.6, India’s 1.2.

From The Times, June 4, 2007:

46,000 British troops participated in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. There are now only 5,500 stationed there.

Interesting, huh?