Human footprint too big for nature
New Delhi: The world’s natural ecosystems are being degraded at a rate unprecedented in human history, according to a global report released by WWF-India, country’s largest and most experienced conservation organisation.
WWF’s Living Planet Report 2006, the group’s biennial statement on the state of the natural world, says that on current projections humanity will be using two planets’ worth of natural resources by 2050 – if those resources have not run out by then. It also confirms the trend of biodiversity loss seen in previous Living Planet reports.
Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India, addressing the press conference said: “We are in serious ecological overshoot, consuming resources faster than the Earth can replace them. India’s national Ecological Footprint is more than 50% larger than its bio capacity.” He added, “The consequences of this are predictable and dire. The growth of the Indian economy in the past decade has been accompanied by a rising footprint. It is vital for the future that India does not follow the developmental course of the west but one that is committed to sustainability. It is high time we realize our responsibility towards our planet and make efforts to protect and conserve it.”
Already resources are depleting, with the report showing that vertebrate species populations have declined by about one-third in the 33 years from 1970 to 2003. At the same time, humanity’s Ecological Footprint – the demand people place upon the natural world – has increased to the point where the Earth is unable to keep up in the struggle to regenerate. According to the report, key regions for the footprint are high consumption countries like Western Europe and North America, and high population countries like India and China.
It is time to make some vital choices. Change that improves living standards while reducing our impact on the natural world will not be easy. The cities, power plants and homes we build today will either lock society into damaging over-consumption beyond our lifetimes, or begin to propel this and future generations towards sustainable living.
The Living Planet Report 2006 pulls together various data to compile two indicators of the Earth’s well-being.
The first, the Living Planet Index, measures biodiversity, based on trends in more than 3600 populations of 1300 vertebrate species around the world. In all, data for 695 terrestrial, 344 freshwater and 274 marine species were analyzed. Terrestrial species declined by 31 per cent, freshwater species by 28 per cent, and marine species by 27 per cent.
The second index, the Ecological Footprint, measures humanity’s demand on the biosphere. Humanity’s footprint has more than tripled between 1961 and 2003. This report shows that our footprint exceeded bio capacity by 25 per cent in 2003. In the previous report (based on data to 2001), this figure was 21 per cent. The carbon dioxide footprint, from the use of fossil fuels, was the fastest growing component of our global footprint, increasing more than nine folds from 1961 to 2003.
Notes to the Editor:
About WWF-India: WWF-India is the largest organisation engaged in wildlife and nature conservation in the country. Established as a Charitable Trust in 1969, it has an experience of over three decades in the field. With modest beginnings, the organisation was propelled forward by the efforts of its founders and associates who volunteered their time and energy to lend momentum to this movement.
A part of WWF International, the organisation has made its presence felt through a sustained effort not only towards nature and wildlife conservation, but sensitizing people by creating awareness through capacity building and enviro-legal activism.
A challenging, constructive, science-based organisation WWF addresses issues like the survival of species and habitats, climate change and environmental education.
About the Living Planet Report
The Living Planet Report 2006 is the sixth in a series of Living Planet publications. The report can be downloaded from www.wwfindia.org
For more information:
Anshuman Atroley,
Communications Manager,
WWF-India
Phone: + 91 11 41504797, +91-98101 69262
Email: aatroley@wwfindia.net
