News Archive
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Mankind is using up global resources faster than ever
The growing world population and increasing consumption has pushed the world into ‘eco-debt’ a month earlier this year, according to the latest statistics on global resources.
The Telegraph, London, England, August 16, 2010
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We've gone into the ecological red
The more we overshoot the available budget, the earlier in the year we start to go into the ecological red. Collectively we started to live beyond our means ...
The Guardian, London, England, August 21, 2010
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“Earth Overshoot Day” falls a month earlier than last year
British think-tank the New Economics Foundation measures how much resources humans are using and this year’s results aren’t good.
Macleans, Canada, August 16, 2010
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Boiling the Frog
Is America on its way to becoming a boiled frog? The hypothetical boiled frog is a useful metaphor for a very real problem: the difficulty of responding to disasters that creep up on you a bit at a time. And right now, both the economic and the environmental frogs are sitting still while the water gets hotter.
The New York Times, New York, July 12, 2009
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Oops! Our Planetary eco-Checkbook Bounced Over Weekend
I regret to inform you that while you were out enjoying yourself this past weekend, your account became overdrawn. Yes, you. All of us, in fact. The folks at Global Footprint Network have determined that August 21st was this year's Earth Overshoot Day.
The Huffington Post, USA, August 23, 2010
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Happy "Earth Overshoot Day"
We've Consumed the Planet's Resources This Year Faster Than Ever! According to calculations by the Global Footprint Network.
Discovery Channel, Planet Green, USA, August 21, 2010
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A partir d’aujourd’hui, la planète vit à crédit
Comment sensibiliser le public aux enjeux environnementaux cruciaux sans passer pour l’éternel rabat-joie de service ? C’est la question que se posent quotidiennement les écologistes. L’une des solutions : simplifier la complexité des problèmes en diffusant un message de communication global et percutant.
Le Monde, Paris, August 21, 2010
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A partir de samedi, la Terre vit à crédit jusqu'à la fin de l'année
A partir du 21 août et jusqu'à la fin de l'année, les Terriens vivront à crédit sur les ressources de la planète. Chaque année, l'ONG Global Footprint Network (GFN) calcule le jour où la consommation de l'humanité en ressources naturelles a épuisé ce que la planète est capable de fournir en une année, de la filtration de l'eau douce à la fourniture de matières premières, y compris alimentaires.
Agence France Press (AFP), Paris, August 16, 2010
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e da Oggi il Pianeta Ha Esaurito le Risorse Naturali dell' Anno
Il 21 agosto non è una data qualsiasi per il Pianeta. È il giorno in cui, secondo i calcoli del Global Footprint Network, la Terra ha esaurito, per quest' anno, la sua capacità di fornirci spontaneamente e gratuitamente i suoi servizi (acqua, suolo coltivabile, risorse della pesca) e di assorbire l' anidride carbonica e gli altri inquinanti, responsabili dei cambiamenti climatici di cui le ultime settimane ci hanno dato tragiche testimonianze.
Corriere della Sera, Rome, August 21, 2010
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Noticias » Noticias » El Mundo La Tierra vivirá a crédito desde el sábado sobre los recursos del planeta
La Tierra vivirá a crédito sobre los recursos del planeta desde el próximo 21 de agosto y hasta finales del año, anunció el lunes una organización de defensa del medio ambiente. El 'Día Mundial del Sobregiro' (Earth Overshoot Day) será el sábado 21 de agosto próximo, indicó la organización Global Footprint, explicando que esa fecha representa un hito desafortunado porque es el día en el que la humanidad comienza a vivir más allá de sus medios ecológicos.
Agence France Press (AFP), Mexico, August 16, 2010
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De aarde is voor dit jaar al opgebruikt
In minder dan negen maanden hebben we de beschikbare grondstoffen voor dit jaar geconsumeerd. Dat is alweer sneller dan in 2009, waarin het vorige record ook al werd gebroken.
De Standaard, Brussels, Belgium, August 19, 2010
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Los recursos de la Tierra para este año se agotan el 21 de agosto y empezaremos a 'vivir a cuenta'
Nuestro planeta se gasta con el uso y cada vez le dejamos menos tiempo para regenerar lo que consumimos y reabsorber los desechos que producimos. De hecho, este año, el 21 de agosto ya habremos gastado todos los recursos naturales que la Tierra puede generar en un año, con lo que en menos de nueve meses nos habremos fundido todo el presupuesto ecológico anual disponible y tendremos que empezar a vivir del crédito.
Radio Televisión Española, Spain, August 16, 2010
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Can we save the summit that was supposed to save the world?
It is a classic tactic in international diplomacy. If you’re worried about not succeeding, talk up your chances of failure in the hope that whatever you do end up achieving looks like a success. That is exactly what has been happening in the run-up to the crucial world climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.
HeraldScotland.com, Scotland, December 22, 2009
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The Happy Planet Index
We’ve written before about alternative measures to gross domestic product. These are generally attempts to take into account how happy, healthy and environmentally friendly a nation is, not just how much it produces in goods and services.
New York Times, USA, July 06, 2009
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Jordens resurser slut för i år
På tisdagen tog jordens resurser slut. Då inträffade "Earth overshoot day", den dagen då mänskligheten konsumerat allt som jorden förmår att producera under ett år. Resten av året kommer vi att tära på reserverna.
Dagens Nyheter, Sweden, August 23, 2010
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We're Borrowing Half A Planet From Our Kids
Global society draws down the planet’s capital ever more quickly. According to new data just released by the Global Footprint Network, our ecological footprint amounts to 6.4 acres per person – almost 50 percent more than the Earth’ biocapacity of 4.5 acres per person.
The Huffington Post, , November 30, 2009
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Humanity's Increasing Impact
New data shows that humanity’s ecological footprint grew almost two per cent between 2005 and 2006 and we now need nearly one and a half Planet Earths to support human activity.
AustralianGeographic.com, Australia, December 02, 2009
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HPA to celebrate Energy Lab opening (April 16-17)
Hawaii Preparatory Academy is celebrating the grand opening of its new Energy Lab with a series of school and community activities April 16-17. Energy Lab Director Dr. Bill Wiecking and architect David Croteau of Flansburgh Architects will be on hand to answer questions about this unique educational facility and how it is opening a new era in the way students learn about sustainability.
Hawaii 24/7, US, April 13, 2010
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Mankind Using Earth's Resources at Alarming Rate
Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a report issued Tuesday. As it is, humanity each year uses resources equivalent to nearly one-and-a-half Earths to meet its needs, said the report by Global Footprint Network, an international think tank.
Agence France Presse, Washington, DC, November 23, 2009
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Uganda likely to lose all forest cover in 50 yrs
Uganda will lose its entire forest cover in the next 50 years if the government does not embark on immediate efforts to halt rapid deforestation. Forests and tree planting can help mitigate the effects of global warming by increasing carbon storage and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Reuters, Nairobi, July 09, 2009
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Calculate your eco-footprint
Ahmedabad: On the occasion of World Environment Day, Gujarat Science City (GSC) organised a special game for visitors called 'Calculate your ecological footprint', in order to gauge their knowledge in the area of environmental awareness.
Daily News and Anlysis, India, June 06, 2009
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Wir liquidieren unsere Ökosysteme
Die Menschheit lebt heute zunehmend auf Kosten der Umwelt. Der Basler Umweltwissenschafter Mathis Wackernagel hat den ökologischen Fussabdruck entwickelt, eine Berechnungsmethode für den nachhaltigen Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen. Umdenken tut not, sagt Wackernagel. Doch deswegen den moralischen Drohfinger erheben will er nicht.
Zürcher Landzeitung, Zurich, April 03, 2010
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State of the Earth 2010
There are now 6.8 billion people on the planet. Together, we consume 1.4 Earths' worth of resources per year.
National Geographic, New York, September 01, 2009
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Defining "Total Environmental Impact"
To live sustainably we first have to understand the many different impacts of our consumption – from energy use and CO2, to air and water pollution — and how these impacts affect the planet as whole. Being a modern day homo sapiens is complicated, but fortunately, there are several helpful scientific models that give us a way to measure our environmental impacts directly.
Greendig.net, , June 03, 2009
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Il rêve de laisser son empreinte
L’homme qui a fait comprendre aux Occidentaux qu’ils « consommaient » des planètes, c’est lui. L’inventeur de l’« empreinte écologique » rêve que son indice de croissance remplace un jour le Produit intérieur brut
Terra Eco, Nantes, France, February 01, 2010
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Energiepolitik neu aufgleisen
ObZ, Switzerland, November 26, 2009
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How Carbon Markets Can Make Both Economic and Ecological Sense
Preserving forests might make economic sense for governments and forest dwellers, and it could also help preserve the habitats of endangered mammals such as orangutans and elephants, according to a study released this week.
Dot Earth (New York Times), , June 05, 2009
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Brechenen sie ihren Fussabdruck
WWF Magazin, , April 01, 2009
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Die welt ist nicht genug
Vivai, , February 01, 2009
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Wie gross ist die Welt? Wie gross sind wir?
Media Planet, Germany, June 01, 2009
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Is GDP An Obsolete Measure of Progress?
Could it be that the GDP, that gold standard of economic data, might not be the best way to gauge a nation's relative prosperity? One new calculation that's been attracting attention is the Happy Planet Index (HPI), which combines economic metrics with indicators of well-being, including subjective measures of life satisfaction, which have become quite sophisticated (HPI uses data from Gallup, World Values Survey, and Ecological Footprint).
TIME, , January 30, 2010
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Economic growth cannot buy the planet more time
Global economic growth - in its current form - cannot continue if nations are serious about curbing climate change, says Andrew Simms. The latest set of accounts for humanity's ecological footprint reveal that, conservatively, it takes the Earth nearly 18 months to produce the ecological services that humanity uses in one year.
BBC, UK, January 26, 2010
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Vancouver engineers its own urban dream
If everyone on Earth lived as people in Vancouver did, Rees calculated, it would take four planets to keep them alive. That message resonated, and it changed Rees' adopted city. To a degree probably unmatched anywhere else in North America, the city of Vancouver has tried to impose notions of sustainability in its decisions on what, where and how to build.
The Los Angeles Times, Vancouver, Canada, January 12, 2010
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Solar power plants planned for Sahara
Today, around a dozen companies launched the Desertec Industrial Initiative. It’s backers claim that within a decade, the initiative could provide Europeans with electricity generated by renewable energy projects in the Sahara. The project will cost €400bn and may one day provide 15 per cent of Europe’s electricity needs.
The Financial Times Limited, Berlin, July 12, 2009
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Abu Dhabi sets ambitious green tourism targets
Abu Dhabi has announced ambitious environmental targets for 2010, promising to slash energy, water and waste-to-landfill usage. In 2008, the WWF ranked the United Arab Emirates as having the largest ecological footprint per capita of any country on the planet, primarily due to its carbon levels from intensive energy needs.
The Independent, United Arab Emirates, January 07, 2010
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Report: the future of Africa looks bleak
A report by the Global Footprint released today said effective management of ecological assets can help address poverty and support changes to human life, as spelled out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Daily News, Tanzania, January 04, 2010
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The Happiest People
Costa Rica wins the day, for achieving contentment and longevity in an environmentally sustainable way. The Dominican Republic ranks second, the United States 114th (because of its huge ecological footprint) and Zimbabwe is last.
The New York Times, San Jose, Costa Rica, January 06, 2010
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Response to the Environment Ministry
Every developing country wants to act like the United States and be like the United States though this is physically impossible. According to the Global According to the Global Footprint Network, Turkey’s total bio-capacity figure stands at 1.5. The translation is, is if the entire humanity lived just like we do, we would need two earths!
Daily News & Economic Review, Turkey, December 31, 2009
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Sustainable Future?
According to the Global Footprint Network and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India now has the world’s third largest ecological footprint (after the United States and China), and its citizens are using almost twice what the natural resources within the country can sustain.
Frontline Magazine, India, January 02, 2010
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Climate conference emits its share of carbon
If they fail to reach a climate deal in Copenhagen, world leaders flying in their private jets and huddling in five-star hotels will have little to show for their efforts beyond a big, fat carbon footprint.
Associated Press, Copenhagen, December 15, 2009
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Securing human development in a resource-constrained world
The newsletter of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) invited Mathis Wackernagel Ph.D., co-founder of the Ecological Footprint and President of the Global Footprint Network, to share his views on what we should be thinking about as we prepare for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009.
OECD DACnews, , October 01, 2009
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Menschheit verbraucht Ressourcen schneller als sie nachwachsen
Die Menschheit verbraucht die natürlichen Ressourcen schneller als sie nachwachsen können. Um den Jahresverbrauch der Menschen zu regenerieren, benötigt die Erde inzwischen etwa 18 Monate, besagt eine Studie der US-Umweltschutzinitiative Global Footprint Network.
A-Z.ch, Switzerland, November 24, 2009
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Nuestro déficit ecológico
Los patrones de consumo de los costarricenses, dice el informe sobre el ‘ Estado de la Nación,’ superan los recursos que nuestro territorio es capaz de producir. En los foros sobre cambio climático, Costa Rica debe hablar con firmeza y, ojalá, con la autoridad moral de un país capaz de contribuir cuanto sea necesario.
Nacion.com, Costa Rica, November 25, 2009
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Una herramienta para buscar nuestro desarrollo sostenible
Mientras por un lado hablamos de la importancia de los recursos naturales, por otro seguimos aferrados al concepto de que desarrollo implica necesariamente incrementos en la producción y en el consumo. Lo que nos obliga a preguntarnos: ¿cuánto “desarrollo” y cuánto desgaste de los recursos naturales son aceptables para asegurar un balance entre estos factores y una buena calidad de vida?
La Prensa Libre, Costa Rica, November 26, 2009
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Wir haben ein Problem
EBL, Switzerland, November 09, 2009
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Questions for the new world
Our need for a greener, life-enhancing economic model should make us seek answers in the unlikeliest of places.
The Guardian, UK, December 17, 2009
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Wir sollen wie Bauern denken
Der gebürtige Basler Mathis Wackernagel ist ein scharfsinniger und nüchtermner Umweltstratege
Mittelland Zeitung, Switzerland, November 18, 2009
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The Hidden Life of What We Buy
Each of these three books is an attempt to address this issue – to explore the ‘life cycle’ and ‘environmental footprint’ of the stuff we buy: one by telling us about it, one by arguing that we should be told more, and one by offering a solution.
Scoop Review of Books, New Zealand, November 17, 2009
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La Huella de Goldfinger
Caretas, Lima, Peru, July 09, 2009
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A demanda e a oferta do capital natural renovável
Desafios, Brasília, Brazil, April 30, 2009
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Recursos de um planeta finito
Desafios, Brasília, Brazil, April 30, 2009
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Happy Costa Ricans top global list for the good life
Costa Rica, the country of fewer than 5m people sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua, tops a new global ranking for combining a happy and long life with limited environmental degradation.
Financial Times, London, July 04, 2009
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Leben auf zu grossem Fuss
Neue Zürcher Zeitung (New Zuricher Newspaper), Zurich, Switzerland, February 03, 2008
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Es droht der ökologische Bankrott
Beobachter Kompakt, , March 01, 2008
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Wir bauen ökologische Schulden auf
Der Bund, , December 01, 2007
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Ecological creditors and debtors
Article by Mathis Wackernagel in United Nations Environmental Programme policy magazine discusses a new context for recognizing natural capital as a core national asset.
UNEP Environment and Poverty Times, , August 01, 2009
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Let's get real about alternative energy
We need to introduce simple arithmetic into our discussions of energy.
CNN, U.S.A., May 13, 2009
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Pick hairstyle, save the world
CNN"s Josh Levs shows how to calculate your impact on the environment using an "avatar."
CNN, U.S.A. , April 25, 2009
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Earth Day and the Elephant in the Room
Well, another Earth Day has come and gone. And amid all the articles and blogs, symposia and TV specials about all the things we can do to save the planet, once again it was hard to find any substantive discussion of the single biggest threat to the environment. Namely, the staggering rise in global population.
The Huffington Post, U.S., April 24, 2009
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Canada among world's largest consumers
Candles? Check. Flashlight? Check. All set to celebrate Earth Hour? Great. While you're sitting in the dark, let's shine a light on how much of the planet's resources you've been using up.
The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, March 28, 2009
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The Inflection Is Near?
What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”
New York Times, New York, March 07, 2009
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Ecological Footprints
The world’s biggest consumer of natural resources is the United Arab Emirates. If every country mirrored the UAE’s ecological footprint, we would need more than four planets to satisfy demand.
Financial Times, London, February 28, 2009
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Planet Overload
Ecological footprinting measures national and global biological productive capacity (the stuff we live off) against human demand (the “footprint”). The resulting data takes both population and consumption into account and provides what many regard as the best guide yet to measuring sustainability.
New Statesman, London, UK, March 05, 2009
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Yet Another 'Footprint' to Worry About: Water
It takes roughly 20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer, as much as 132 gallons of water to make a 2-liter bottle of soda, and about 500 gallons, including water used to grow, dye and process the cotton, to make a pair of Levi's stonewashed jeans. Taking a cue from carbon tracking, companies and conservationists tally hidden sources of consumption...
Wall Street Journal, New York, February 17, 2009
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After the Crash: How to be Happy Anyway
Ecological footprint analysis shows it would take more than six Earths to give everyone in the world the level of consumption Americans "enjoy." Of course, we have only one planet, and this one is overheating…
Huffington Post, New York, NY, February 25, 2009
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It Is Time to Order a New Economic Order
The evidence is everywhere that continued dedication to 'economic growth,' per se, will destroy the Earth's ability to provide a healthy home for most life forms.
Huffington Post, New York, February 10, 2009
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Assessing Northern Australia’s ecological footprint
“The ecological footprint brings home locally responsibility for global impact in a way that is less easily contested than greenhouse gas production,” he said. “In a resource-based economy much of the energy use is undertaken for consumers elsewhere."
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia, February 19, 2009
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Population: The elephant in the room
Most natural scientists agree our growing numbers and our unchecked impact on the natural environment move us inexorably toward global calamities of unthinkable severity…Just look at the data from the Global Footprint Network group. They estimate that we'll remain in overshoot unless we also address population.
BBC News, London, February 02, 2009
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Population growth: the forgotten worry, though crisis continues
The Global Footprint Network, which calculates the effect humans have on the environment and translates it to acres of land and water, estimates it would take more than two Earths to support human needs for food, raw materials and energy by 2050 if the U.N. projections are right...
The Oregonian, Portland, OR, February 06, 2009
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Hong Kong: small island, big resource demands
At 4.4 global hectares per person, Hong Kong residents have an Ecological Footprint twice that typical for China as a whole. Hong Kong also has one of the greatest ecological deficits in the world, according to Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Report: Living Beyond Our Means. The report details Hong Kong’s resource use and its role in the overall ecological picture of China – a country that now ties with the US as the largest user of the world’s biocapacity.
People & the Planet, London, January 12, 2009
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Leave only footprints
The UAE retains its position as the nation with the largest ecological footprint per capita in the WWF's biennial Living Planet Report, released towards the end of 2008. UAE environment and water minister HE Dr Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad tells us what needs to be done.
Arabian Business, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 03, 2009
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Don't fix the economy - change it
The financial crisis has brought into sharp focus the need to fundamentally change, not merely repair or rebuild, our economy. Because, quite simply, sticking with an economic model that is driving toward ecological catastrophe will kill us.
Toronto Star, Toronto, December 26, 2008
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Renewable Richmond
Do you know your carbon footprint? The author does, and he's not too happy about it. Sustainability means that we are meeting our present needs without jeopardizing the potential of future generations to meet their needs. For the rest of 2008, we will be in the ecological equivalent of deficit spending, drawing down our resource stocks, in essence, borrowing from the future.
The Richmond, Richmond, VA, December 16, 2008
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How you can really clean up
We think of hi-tech industries as being eco-friendly. But some are a great deal friendlier than others. It’s all a question of being aware of your ecological footprint...
The Independent, London, December 08, 2008
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New Report details environmental degradation across Victoria, AUS
Victoria is getting hotter and drier, is emitting more greenhouse gases and is rapidly losing its native species, a damning report reveals. And the state's ecological footprint - which measures human demand on the world's resources - is three times higher than the global average.
Herald Sun, Victoria, AUS, December 04, 2008
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Call for environment bailout
"Unlike the global financial crisis, no bailout can help if we run out of environmental resources simply because we cannot create another planet," said Dr Mathis Wackernagel, executive director of the Global Footprint Initiative, in an interview with Gulf News.
Gulf News, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 29, 2008
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Too much for the Earth to bear
The global financial crisis that has sent economies teetering from recession toward slump is preoccupying politicians and families worldwide, who see their livelihoods being snatched away by the consequences of the inventive greed of financial whiz kids. But a worse crisis lies waiting — involving the very future health and life of Earth. How long before human beings go the way of the dinosaurs?
The Japan Times, Japan, November 26, 2008
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Using only our fair share of planet
The Welsh Assembly Government’s new sustainable development consultation document, "One Wales: One Planet", has set the necessary but ambitious goal of “using only our fair share of the Earth’s resources”. The title of the document is taken from the Ecological Footprint research; this measures Welsh resource consumption as requiring the equivalent of 2.7 planets. If Wales is to live within the environmental capacity of the planet, it will need to reduce its resource consumption by around two-thirds from present levels.
WalesOnline, Cardiff, Wales, November 25, 2008
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Want to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint? Think Food.
As I adjusted, I thought there was at least one upside. My new lifestyle would be more benign for the planet. Surely, by not driving and by living in a much smaller space, I had significantly reduced my ecological footprint, a measurement of how much of the earth's resources each of the world's 6.6 billion people are using.
Washington Post, Washington D.C., November 29, 2008
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Making Our Mark- Ecological Footprints
Ecological footprints are being used to measure our impact on Earth and the results aren't good. We humans have been changing the face of our planet for thousands of years, clearing forests, damming rivers, draining swamps, ploughing the paddocks, building cities and freeways, creating the world we know.
Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, December 08, 2008
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Why sustainability is still going strong
In the wake of the deepening economic crisis, many commentators are warning of the demise of corporate sustainability, the practice of balancing profit with the social and environmental impact of doing business. Companies obsessed with their own short-term survival, they suggest, cannot possibly support long-term, “feel-good” initiatives to protect the environment or invest in community development...
The Financial Times, London, February 12, 2009
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We are heading towards ecological credit crunch
The world is heading for an ecological credit crunch, as human demands on the world’s natural resources reach nearly a third more than Earth can sustain...
Merinews, New Delhi, India, January 30, 2009
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Earth 'On Course for Eco-Crunch'
The planet is headed for an ecological "credit crunch", according to a report issued by conservation groups. The document contends that our demands on natural resources overreach what the Earth can sustain by almost a third. The Living Planet Report is the work of WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network.
BBC News, London, October 29, 2008
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World Threatened by Ecological 'Credit Crunch': WWF
Reckless borrowing against Earth's exhausted bounty is driving the planet toward an ecological "credit crunch", the World Wildlife Fund warned on Wednesday. Growing demands on natural capital -- such as forests, water, soil, air and biodiversity -- already outstrip the world's capacity to renew these resources by a third, according to the WWF's Living Planet Report.
AFP, Paris, October 28, 2008
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An Ecological Deficit
Worldwide human activity so far this year has exhausted the resources the planet can renew, absorb or cleanse in a year, according to the California-based Global Footprint Network. The group said the mark was overshot by the second half of September through activities such as timber harvesting, fishing and carbon emission.
Washington Post, Washington, D.C., October 02, 2008
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Just like Wall St., the Earth is overdrawn (two weeks ahead of '07)
Just like AIG and a collection of Wall Street luminaries, we, as planetary citizens, are 140% overdrawn today. This means that if we measured all the resources that Mother Earth starts to produce on January 1st— such as oxygen, food, medicine, drinking water, forests, mineral ores, energy resources and acceptable climate,— well before Halloween is upon us, we are overdrawn, using more resources than have been generated.
Marketplace from American Public Media, USA, September 23, 2008
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China using up natural resources fast: report
China is drawing on natural resources such as farm land, timber and water twice as fast as they can be renewed in its drive for development, a report from Chinese and international environmentalists said.
ABC News, USA, June 10, 2008
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Africa fast running down resources
Many African countries are rapidly running down their natural resources as growing populations push the continent towards its ecological limits, the conservation organization WWF said on Monday.
Reuters, Geneva, June 09, 2008
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In California, Building a Town With a Gentle Footprint
An ecological footprint is a way of quantifying human impact on the earth. The originator of the concept, environmentalist Mathis Wackernagel, sees it as a way to help average people wrap their brains around an overwhelming amount of data.
Washington Post, Washington, D.C., May 03, 2008
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IS LOCAL ALWAYS BETTER?
From start to finish — from planting seeds to disposing scraps — the food sector accounts for roughly 25 percent of an American’s ecological footprint, according to Susan Burns, a managing director at the Global Footprint Network in Oakland, Calif.
New York Times, New York, April 20, 2008
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On Language: Footprint
“The word footprint has taken on meaning,” writes Michel Berger of Oakland, Calif., responding to a recent query in this space, “beyond that of simple circumstantial evidence that someone has walked by...
New York Times, New York, February 17, 2008
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How to Save the Planet? It's the Economy, Stupid
The ecological budget – on which all life, and consequently the human economy, depends – is already in dramatic deficit, and balancing it should be a high priority for nations around the world, even as the financial meltdown seizes headlines.
The National, UAE, December 16, 2008
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World Watching for UAE Progress on Green Initiatives
The world is watching how effective the United Arab Emirates will be in overcoming the challenge of having one of the worst ecological footprints, construction industry executives were told today (Monday 24 November 2008).
Zawya, Dubai, November 24, 2008
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Calling All Teachers
When it came to dreaming up an environmental project last year, Grade 4 teacher Megan Liddell didn't want to start yet another litterless lunch program.
Calgary Herald, Calgary, November 21, 2008
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Humans Make Black Mark With Ecological Footprint
Look at what we get from the natural systems around the world – supplying food, keeping the growing world working, reducing the effect of weather on our lives and even helping to keep us happy.
Southern Reporter, Scotland, November 20, 2008
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Wales Pledge to Use Only Fair Share of Resources
Wales today pledged to become a "one planet nation" and use only its fair share of the world's resources.
News Wales, Wales, November 19, 2008
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Green Challenge Tougher Than Economic Crisis
Environmentalists can draw lessons from the global financial crisis to deal with the looming ecological credit crunch, says Chief Emeka Anyoaku, the president of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International.
The Sunday Independent, South Africa, November 16, 2008
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Got A Spare Earth Anywhere?
If the world continues to pillage and plunder Earth's natural resources at the rate we are now, by 2030 we will need two planets to support us. If everyone on Earth consumed the equivalent resources of Canadians, it would take three Earths to meet the demand.
Toronto Sun, Toronto, November 15, 2008
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Country Scores Poorly in Global Eco Report
Based on energy consumption levels, the Czech Republic leaves behind the biggest “ecological footprint” in Central Europe, according to a new report.
The Prague Post, Prague, November 12, 2008
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Southern Cities 'Are More Green'
The Forum For The Future think-tank has rated British cities by air quality, green spaces and quality of life in order to judge the 20 most sustainable ones.
The Telegraph, London, November 10, 2008