Description
Book SynopsisAt a time when the world is grappling with rising food and energy prices and climate change, Living in a Material World provides an insight into some of the contributing factors behind these challenges. The emergence of new consumers in China, India, Russia and the Middle East has added formidable competition to the natural resources that have been taken for granted in the developed world.
Everything we consume involves the use of metals, fossil fuels or agriculture. Our high tech ''lifestyles'' depend on the secure supply of these raw materials which we take from planet earth and use to make our lives more comfortable, more productive or more manageable. The effect of this increasing global demand for commodities has pushed up prices of materials from oil and copper to corn and wheat; forcing consumers to pay more for the many ''necessities'' of life, from a loaf of bread to electricity bills.
Since the commodity boom has unfolded, commodities have gone from the back page o
Trade Review
"…a book about what is going on in the commodities space at the moment" (CNBC Europe Squawk Box, Thursday 3 July 2008)
"…examines the link between the price of raw materials and what’s happening on the high street." (Sky TV News & Sky Radio News, Tuesday 8 July 2008)
"…timely…heavily researched…" (City A.M., Thursday 10 July 2008)
Table of ContentsIntroduction.
1. Energy.
2. Agriculture.
3. Climate.
4. Metals.
5. Traders.
References.
Index.
