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  • This episode is supported by 23andMe/.

  • There are currently 7.5 billion people alive on Earth,

  • of which 323 million live in the United States of America

  • As a global powerhouse, many have an opinion on the American Lifestyle.

  • But what do the statistics say,

  • and what would actually happen if we all lived like Americans?

  • First off you would be having more sex.

  • Surveys indicate that Americans have sex 138 times per year on average

  • which is the second highest in the world behind France.

  • Porn would also be even more abundant as 73 percent of the world's porn is produced in America.

  • Americans drive thirteen thousand four hundred and seventy-six (13,476) miles per year,

  • which is the most in the world.

  • This explains why they have the highest rates of vehicle collisions worldwide

  • and number of meals eaten in a car.

  • Seriously. Statistics show that twenty percent of American meals are consumed in a vehicle.

  • Americans eat eight ounces of meat per day on average

  • which is almost double the world average.

  • This leads to Americans killing and eating 10 billion animals annually,

  • which is 15 percent of the world's total consumption.

  • The average American also drinks 403 Coca Cola products per year

  • compared to the world's average which is 92.

  • This all contributes to the U.S. having the highest total caloric intake, sugar intake, and fat intake compared to all of the other 16 wealthiest countries.

  • But consumption is similar in one category: fruit and vegetable consumption.

  • And all of this eating contributes to trash.

  • Americans throw out 1.6 billion pens and 220 million car tires per year.

  • An individual American produces 729 kilogrammes of garbage per year

  • of which 544 kilograms is organic waste.

  • This means that the population of America which is roughly 5% of the world, generates 40% of the world's waste.

  • For most of the world, the American Lifestyle would mean living longer.

  • The U.S. life expectancy is 82.1 years for women, and 77.5 for men.

  • But it still only ranked 42nd in the world behind other industrialized nations like Australia and Canada.

  • This is likely because these countries have better publicly funded health care.

  • The median age in the United States is 37.9

  • meaning if you divided the whole population of America into two equal groups,

  • half of the people would be younger that 37.9,

  • and half of the people would be older.

  • America is defined as having an ageing population in that the world's median age is lower at 30.1.

  • Niger has the lowest median age at 15.3 years old,

  • compared to Japan, where the ageing population could become an issue

  • as their median age is 46.9.

  • The lifestyle of an American requires about ten liters of oil per day.

  • But some other developed countries consume even more on average, like Canadians, who use 10.2 litres per day,

  • while some of the lowest consumers of oil are Bangladeshis who only use 0.1 litres per day.

  • A direct way of measuring the impact of the worlds witching to an American lifestyle is using the global hectare.

  • This measurement looks at how much land, sea and other natural resources are needed to produce what each person consumes per year.

  • For example: the rice they eat, the shelving unit they buy, or the clothes they wear.

  • The average person in the world uses 2.7 global hectares per year.

  • The highest is the lifestyle of those in Kuwait who use 8.9 global hectares annually,

  • with the U.S. trailing slightly behind with 6.8 global hectares per year.

  • With the amount of CO2 released from this,

  • studies show that we would need another half of an Earth

  • in order to absorb it at a safe rate.

  • Although other studies suggests that these are underestimations.

  • So you can imagine if we were all living like Americans,

  • it would be catastrophic.

  • In fact we would need 4.1 Earths in order to sustain everyone living like an American.

  • Special thanks to 23andMe for sponsoring this video.

  • If you've ever wanted to understand your own DNA,

  • and see which regions of the world your ancestors come from,

  • or how your DNA influences physical traits and health

  • then check out 23andMe/asap

  • We've tried it ourselves and found out that Gregg has a lot of neanderthal DNA,

  • while Mitch found out why he loves pizza so much.

  • All you have to do is spit in a tube,

  • and they'll analyse your 23 pairs of chromosomes which is where the name comes from.

  • Again, head to 23andMe/asap to learn more about yourself now.

This episode is supported by 23andMe/.

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