Divorce is bad for the environment. This is the conclusion of a _______________   carried out by ecologists at Michigan State University in the USA and published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'. Researchers found that divorce has different kinds of _______________ on the planet, including a _______________ for resources and a _______________  of efficiency in the use of household resources. The research team analyzed data on _______________ and their use of resources in 12 countries, including the USA, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greece, Mexico and South Africa. Lead researchers Eunice Yu and Jianguo Liu discovered that divorce led to smaller average household sizes, which resulted in a  _______________  of total households and thus a _______________ for energy, water, and land.

In many countries around the world _______________ have been rising. "A married household actually uses resources more efficiently," said Mr Liu. He added that people seemed surprised by his findings at first, and then after thinking about it, decided it was simple. He said: "People have been talking about how to protect the environment and combat _______________ , but divorce is an overlooked factor that needs to be considered." His report states that in America in 2005, divorcees could have saved more than 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water if they had stayed married. In percentage terms, divorcees used 42-61 percent more resources per person compared with a married person. To help save _______________ , Yu and Liu recommended that governments consider the environmental impact of divorce and separation.

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