Global economic growth continues at expense of ecological systems.

• Author: Assadourian, Erik

In 2007, gross world product (GWP)--the global total of all finished goods and services--was expected to grow 5.4 percent to US$72.3 trillion (in 2007 dollars, purchasing power parity basis). This was less than earlier estimates due particularly to economic disruptions in the U.S. housing market and ripple effects in Europe, Japan, and other countries.

The U.S. economy, which accounts for 19 percent of GWP, was projected to grow 2.1 percent in 2007, nearly 1 percent slower than the previous year, largely because of the turmoil in the subprime mortgage sector and rising gasoline prices.

China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew an estimated 11.7 percent in 2007-but at a steep cost in politically destabilizing...