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World

Uruguay's austere president urges leaders to fight 'culture of waste' growing in poor nations

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, left, speaks as Uruguay's President Jose Mujica listens to him, during the G77 + China Summit in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Sunday, June 15, 2014. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

LA PAZ, Bolivia – Uruguay's austere president is urging world leaders to fight a "culture of waste" in which poor nations try to emulate richer countries rather than live in balance with the environment.

Speaking in Bolivia on Sunday to a summit of the Group of 77 and China, Jose Mujica calls the growth in consumerism "a trap" that will produce material gain at the cost of human development.

Mujica is a former guerrilla leader and he has won attention for his no-frills lifestyle as Uruguay's president, including driving an old Volkswagen Beetle and living on a simple flower farm.

Opposition leaders in Bolivia have criticized the summit of representatives from 128 nations as a waste of money. President Evo Morales defends the meeting, saying will help promote Bolivia and its social reforms.