WWF: Canadians using three times our share of global resources
2008 Living Planet report shows looming global ecological credit crunch
By WWF team
The report, released today around the globe, shows the world is heading for an ecological credit crunch, as we continue to create an ecological deficit to be paid by future generations. In addition, the report found that global natural wealth and diversity continues to decline, and more and more countries are slipping into a state of permanent or seasonal water stress.
Canadians were found to have the 7th largest ecological footprint - the human demand on the Earth's ecosystems compared to the Earth's ability to regenerate those resources. Roughly half of Canada's ecological footprint comes from carbon released from transportation, heating and electricity production, which contribute to climate change.
The good news is that we have the means to reverse the credit crunch, provided we transform our lifestyles and economies to put the world on sustainable footing.
"We are borrowing from our children to live beyond our means, and our children will pay the price," said Gerald Butts, President and CEO of WWF-Canada. "If everyone on Earth used the resources we use as Canadians, it would take three planets to meet our demand. We can change, but we have to start now."
In order to reduce Canada's ecological footprint, WWF-Canada is calling on:
The Canadian Government: To work aggressively to reduce Canada's carbon footprint by implementing measures that would predictably reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as increasing energy efficiency standards, and sign a new global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Canadian Industry: To become global leaders in using our resources more efficiently, especially carbon and water.
Individual Canadians: To take responsibility for their own consumption and reduce their own ecological footprint through initiatives such as WWF's The Good Life, found at wwf.ca.
"The world is currently struggling with the consequences of over-valuing its financial assets," said WWF International Director-General James Leape, "but a more fundamental crisis looms ahead - an ecological credit crunch caused by under-valuing the environmental assets that are the basis of all life and prosperity."
The report, published every two years, is widely accepted as a statement of Earth's ability to remain a "living planet". In 2008, it adds for the first time new measures of global, national and individual water footprint.
The new water footprint measures both direct use and water traded in the form of commodities. For example, a cotton T-shirt requires 2,900 litres of water in its production. Canadians have the 12th largest water footprint, consuming some 2,000,000 litres of water per year.
The Living Planet Index, compiled by ZSL, is a measure of nearly 5,000 measured populations of 1,686 species, shows a nearly 30 per cent decline since 1970. These dramatic losses in our natural wealth are being driven by deforestation and land conversion in the tropics (50% decline in Tropical LPI) and the impact of dams, diversions and climate change on freshwater species (35% decline). Pollution, over-fishing and destructive fishing in marine and coastal environments are also taking a considerable toll.
Carbon emissions from fossil fuel use and land disturbance are the greatest component of humanity's footprint, underlining the key threat of climate change. The ecological footprint analysis, produced by GFN, shows that we have exceeded global "biocapacity" – a measure of Earth's ability to produce resources and capture our emissions.
"These Living Planet measures show us what needs to be done," said Mr. Butts. "We hope that in years to come we will report increases in the Living Planet Index, a diminishing ecological footprint and water becoming more rather than less available to more people."
The report suggests some key "sustainability wedges" which, if combined, would stabilise and reverse the worsening slide into ecological debt and enduring damage to global support systems.
For the single most important challenge, climate change, the report shows that a range of efficiency, renewable and low emissions "wedges" could meet projected energy demands to 2050 with reductions in carbon emissions of 60% to 80%.
"If we have the will, we have the way to live within our planet's means, but we must recognize that the ecological credit crunch will require even bolder action than that now being mustered for the financial crisis," Mr. Butts concluded.
----- The 2008 Living Planet Report can be downloaded from www.panda.org/lpr/08
The report and additional multimedia materials including broadcast quality video can be found at wwf.extranet.largeblue.net, using the password mA1aGb73
The global ecological footprint is worsening at an increasing rate. The 2006 WWF Living Planet Report revealed an excess ecological footprint of 25 per cent in 2003 (2008 LPR - 30 per cent on global data for 2005), with a projection that the two planet requirement would be reached around 2050 (2008 LPR – 2030s).
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Posted by on 10/31 at 04:22 PM
