A Royal Society research team member, Jules Pretty, says the team took into account a number of changes that are expected in coming decades, such as climate change, massive rises in world population, and new consumption patterns.

VOA: standard.2009.10.21

And in recent years, Apple, Facebook, Google and other Silicon Valley giants have undertaken efforts, voluntarily and under pressure from groups like Greenpeace, to slash their massive electricity consumption and secure power from renewable energy sources.

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Although the firm had pinned its hopes on international growth, it was China's effort to boost domestic consumption through a massive fiscal stimulus that prevented a worse outcome.

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Mr Dasgupta argues that this distortion of trade amounts to a massive subsidy of rich-world consumption paid by the world's poorest people.

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