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2016-08-08 | permalink
Humanity has already exhausted Earth’s natural resources for 2016
Humanity has eaten up this year"s natural resources (Photo: CC0)
August 8th marks Earth Overshoot Day this year – the day humanity has used up the natural resources the world can supply in a year, according to data from Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability think tank. The date is calculated each year by contrasting the world’s demand on nature (ecological footprint) with the biocapacity - forests, pastures, cropland and fisheries as well as the planet’s ability to replenish resources and absorb waste, including carbon dioxide emissions. The world enters ecological ‘overshoot’ this year five days earlier than in 2015. The day has moved up on the calendar from early October in 2000, showing that humans are exhausting the world's resources faster than ever. For the rest of the year, we will be living on resources borrowed from future generations. According to the Global Footprint Network, the estimated level of resources and ecosystem services required to support human activities today is just over 1.6 Earths. If we continue on the course estimated by moderate United Nations projections for increasing population and consumption, we would need the capacity of two Earths to keep up with our level of demand by 2030. If everyone on Earth lived as Australians do, it would take 5.4 Earths to sustain global consumption. If the entire world population followed US citizens’ example, it would take 4.8 Earths. The costs of this ecological overspending are becoming more evident in the form of deforestation, drought, fresh-water scarcity, soil erosion, biodiversity loss and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to the Global Footprint Network, carbon emissions are the fastest growing contributor to ecological overshoot, with the carbon footprint now making up 60% of humanity’s demand on nature. “The Paris climate agreement is the strongest statement yet about the need to reduce the carbon footprint drastically. Ultimately, collapse or stability is a choice,” said Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder and CEO of the network. “We forcefully recommend nations, cities and individuals take swift, bold actions to make the Paris goals an attainable reality.” One of the measures the think tank recommends is choosing a vegetarian alternative to steaks and burgers as often as possible since it takes more productive land to produce meat than vegetables or grain. The Global Footprint Network also hopes for a change of the current trend of growing meat consumption in China. The government has outlined a plan to reduce its citizens’ meat consumption by 50%, which it calculates will lower the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from China’s livestock industry by 1 billion tonnes by 2030. (ab)
