Why should resource use in the U.S. have increased by a factor of 17 in the past century? Suggest as many different reasons backed by some evidence as you can

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The twentieth century was the "American century," by most historians' accounts.
America's economic might lagged significantly behind Europe's at the end of the
nineteenth century, but outperformed all others most of the twentieth century.
The American population grew substantially, from 76 million in 1900 to 281 million in
2000, an increase by a factor of 3.7 . Meanwhile, America's economy took off, partly helped
by the collapse of the Depression and the world war that followed.
In early development of any economy, the use of materials skyrockets, and that occurred in
America. America went from developing country to leader of the pack over the century. That
is partly why the growth in use of materials was 4.6 times as large as the increase in
population.
The large number of servicemen and -women in World War II returned home to a baby
boom and a concomitant economic boom fueled by innovation and applications of
technology. After the privations of war, they wanted all sorts of material goods for
themselves and for their children. This also boosted output, which in turn boosted mineral
use.