Open Access

Philipp Schepelmann

• A predominant focus on "rich" and "poor" tends to distort the perception of the link between affluence and the consumption of natural resources. Based on the findings of the Global Resources Outlook 2024, the author argues that global material consumption is no longer dominated by high-income economies; instead, middle-income countries now account for the largest share. This underlines the relevance of the IPAT equation as a heuristic tool for analyzing the driving forces behind the Great Acceleration of the Anthropocene. The article discusses the political and communicative challenges arising from the shift in focus from the rich-poor dichotomy towards a complementing consideration of growing populations and affluence of middle-incomeA predominant focus on "rich" and "poor" tends to distort the perception of the link between affluence and the consumption of natural resources. Based on the findings of the Global Resources Outlook 2024, the author argues that global material consumption is no longer dominated by high-income economies; instead, middle-income countries now account for the largest share. This underlines the relevance of the IPAT equation as a heuristic tool for analyzing the driving forces behind the Great Acceleration of the Anthropocene. The article discusses the political and communicative challenges arising from the shift in focus from the rich-poor dichotomy towards a complementing consideration of growing populations and affluence of middle-income economies.…