[jongraehl]

I don't buy that explanation. Who taught the U.S. to drive one Hummer per person? Isn't it more likely that whatever caused the U.S. to consume in this way is also responsible for the emerging consumer classes in newly-wealthy nations like China and India?

It's true that in some poorer countries there is a cachet specifically to American things (that cost a lot more than an ordinary person can afford).

[r0h4n]

China and India were economically nowhere some in 1950. They had to take whatever investment was coming in from other countries. So whatever the USA sold to India/China. they had no choice to take it whether it was beneficial to the environment/people in the long term or not.

And I think Americans opted for bigger cars was purely due to non availability and zero motivation of efficiency in Life in General.USA has lots of land, it has sources to get cheap oil (or it creates them). So there might have been a neglect towards efficiency.