Have you heard? Humanity is going into debt this Saturday, August 21, 2010. Every thing we collectively do past this date depletes environmental capital, putting us into ecological debt. In other words humanity is using resources beyond the capacity of the planet to sustainable regenerate them. Humanity now uses 150% of the resources the Earth can generate annually.Global Footprint Network explains it like so:
The fact that we are using (or "spending" natural capital) faster than it can replenish is similar to having expenditures that continually exceed income. In planetary terms, the results of our ecological overspending are becoming more clear by the day. Climate change - a result of carbon being emitted faster than it can be reabsorbed by the forests and seas - is the most obvious and arguably pressing result. But there are others as well: shrinking forests, species loss, fisheries collapse and freshwater stress to name a few. "If you spent your entire annual income in nine months, you would probably be extremely concerned," said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel. "The situation is no less dire when it comes to our ecological budget. Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water and food shortages--these are all clear signs that we can no longer finance our consumption on credit. Nature is foreclosing."
What do you think should we be concerned?
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