BICYCLE POWER
We are entering the age of the bike. For every car manufactured in the world, 2.5 bikes are made. Thirty years ago, the ratio was only 1.5 to 1. China produces half of all the world鈥檚 bikes, including 9 out of 10 of those sold in the US.
MOBILE TELECOMS
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One in five people in the world now owns a cellphone. Last year, mobile phones outnumbered fixed-line subscribers for the first time. Africa is leading the mobile revolution, where mobiles now outnumber fixed lines in 30 countries.
TOBACCO INDUSTRY
Cigarette production is finally beginning to fall. Last year it dipped below 900 cigarettes for every human on the planet for the first time since 1974. But deaths continue to rise. Smoking-related diseases were responsible for an estimated 4.9 million deaths last year, or one tenth of all adult fatalities.
POWER GENERATION
Almost two-fifths of the world鈥檚 capacity to generate power from wind is in Germany 鈥� enough to provide almost 5 per cent of the country鈥檚 electricity. Denmark, a country of only 5 million people, installed more wind turbines last year than the US, which has a population of 290 million.
US ARMS SPENDIING
The US spends $30 million on its military every hour of every day. The world鈥檚 superpower now accounts for 36 per cent of all military expenditure. Nations deemed rogue states by the US, however, account for less than 3 per cent of global military spending.
NATURAL DISASTERS
Insurance companies logged 593 weather-dependent events out of a total of roughly 700 natural disasters in 2002. Since the 1960s weather catastrophes have quadrupled worldwide whether related to global warming or not.
Vital Signs 2003 is produced by the Worldwatch Institute based in Washington DC