For years, the developed western world has been pumping a consumerist message into the rest of the world.  Trouble is that the rest of the world now wants the first world life style that is so costly in terms of the earth’s resources and pollution.

Malaysia is a classic case in point, as it’s economy grows and the standard of living rises, it’s population aspires to live the dream sold to them by the west.

The first image (above) is of the billboards making up the facade of the building housing Mc Donald’s in Bukit Bintang (the very centre of Kuala Lumpur). On the surface things look fairly normal to a western eye but directly behind the Mc Donald’s is a mass of air-conditioners.

As the developing countries get more affluent, they too, just like the developed west, will want to be more comfortable, and I think we all know where that’s going to end when consumption of energy and resources doubles or even triples.

I’ve always thought it was extremely hypocritical that the west has been trying to tell the rest of the world not to pollute when we are the worst offenders. To add insult to injury, we keep on glamorising consumption.