[Vision2020] WWF: Humans Far Outstripping Planet's Resource-Replacement Rate

[Ralph Nielsen]

Don't worry. Many religious types believe in the Theory of Divine  
Providence: God will provide.

Ralph



Art Deco deco at moscow.com
Wed Oct 25 08:24:40 PDT 2006

  WWF: Humans Far Outstripping Planet's Resource-Replacement Rate

Wednesday, October 25, 2006


GLAND, Switzerland - The Earth's ecosystems are being run down faster  
than ever because humanity is using more natural resources than our  
planet can replenish, the World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday.

The WWF's biennial report on the state of the natural world said  
humanity would be using double the available resources by 2050,  
unless the amount used and the waste produced is significantly reduced.

"We are in serious ecological overshoot, consuming resources faster  
than the Earth can replace them," WWF International Director General  
James Leape said. "The consequences of this are predictable and dire."

Eventually, ecological assets, such as forests and fisheries will be  
harvested to such a degree that they might disappear altogether. In  
2003, 25 percent more natural resources were used than the Earth  
could sustainably replenish, the report said.

According to the WWF, humanity's ecological footprint - measuring the  
area of biologically productive land and sea required to provide all  
the resources used and absorb waste - has more than tripled between  
1961 and 2003.

Countries with the largest ecological footprint per person are the  
United Arab Emirates, the United States, Finland, Canada, Kuwait,  
Australia, Estonia, Sweden, New Zealand and Norway. China is ranked  
69th, but its size and rapid economic growth make it a key player for  
the sustainable use of the world's resources, the report said.

Another indicator of the strain on natural ecosystems is the decline  
of about one-third observed in more than 1,300 vertebrate species  
around the world between 1970 and 2003, said the WWF. The loss of  
natural habitat to cropland and pasture has been particularly acute  
in the tropics, the report said.