Human beings living far beyond the planet’s means
Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets’ worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. The article stated populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two-yearly report “For more than 20 years we have exceeded the earth’s ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path,” WWF Director-General James Leape said, launching the WWF’s 2006 Living Planet Report.”If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us,” Leape, an American, said in Beijing. People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said.
This article disturbed me a lot. To think in as little as forty-four years we could require another planet’s worth of natural resources. We can already see “water wars” occurring. Places that have water and dame up rivers are causing shortages downriver. The United States is doing this to Mexico, Middle Eastern countries have had this problem even longer and China’s rivers are becoming so polluted that it may soon need to seek out fresh water supplies. Just remember the United States has the great lakes which hold 20% of the world’s freshwater supply. That excludes the melting glaciers. I heard the rainforest’s produce forty percent of the oxygen in the air. Yet, they are being burned and turned into temporary farmland at an exponential rate. Climate patterns are changing and rainfall is moving to different areas. People don’t want to be aware of what is happening. They think it will all go away. What we have done in past couple centuries will take an extremely long time to be reversed if it even can. I despise America for their wasteful lifestyle. Having the biggest house, biggest vehicle and biggest waistline seem so important to American’s. In some European countries it is shameful to show wealth. When you consider how much living space you actually use and how many of you actually have a need for a truck or SUV. You can’t hide behind the I need all-wheel drive cause of the climate. Subaru and other automakers make all-wheel drive sedans! If you need space, instead of getting an SUV get a hatchback or wagon. Start recycling your trash and be conscientious of the water, food, fuel and other things you use. Remember, everyone shares the resources of the earth. When they run out, we don’t have anymore. Forget any idea you have about going into space for resources because I highly doubt that will ever happen.
