Ecological Debt Day means the day when human kind begins to live beyond its ecological means. So, as of October 6, 2007, humanity has consumed the total amount of new resources that our planet can produce this year.
Currently, we are using 30% more in one year than the nature can regenerate in that same year. Thus from this Saturday, we have moved into the red zone as per the New Economics Foundation (NEF) think-tank. NEF says that this date is steadily moving backwards every year.
NEF director Andrew Simms says,
‘As the world creeps closer to irreversible global warming and goes deeper into ecological debt, why on earth, say, would the UK export 20 tonnes of mineral water to Australia and then re-import 21 tonnes.”
In 2007, in just 279 days, humanity demanded the biosphere’s entire capacity for the year. The 279th day of the year was October 6.
The report has caused a lot of concern in international community regarding the environment.
Some interesting facts it showed such as if every nation in the world had the same consumption rates as United States it would take 5.3 planet earths to support us. Similarly, this figure was 3.1 for France and Britain, 3.0 for Spain, 2.5 for Germany and 2.4 for Japan.
Via: Reuters
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