By Balakrishna Pisupati (UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions) and Mathis Wackernagel (Global Footprint Network) | 08 August 2016
Today, millions of people around the world will watch as Olympic swimmers and divers compete in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We believe this global event begs the question: What if countries were as competitive about fulfilling the pledges for a sustainable world they made last year in New York and Paris, as they have been in training athletes for the Olympic Games?
Today (August 8) is Earth Overshoot Day 2016. Humanity has used all the renewable natural resources that the planet can replenish for the whole year, according to international research institute, Global Footprint Network.
Its data shows that humanity demands 64% more from nature than planet Earth can renew. We make up for that gap by depleting our planet’s natural capital through overfishing, overharvesting forests and emitting more carbon into our atmosphere than can be absorbed.
The disastrous consequences include climate change, topsoil erosion and biodiversity loss. The longer we continue viewing natural resources as unlimited, the faster we are jeopardizing the very capacity of our planet to provide us with the renewable resources that we need to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves.
We can measure the scope of our ecological overshoot by comparing the Ecological Footprint (demand for resources) to biocapacity (nature’s ability to supply these resources). Human demands compete for biologically productive space. Therefore, we can add up these required spaces to support demand and compare them with the spaces actually available.
Already 85 percent of the global population live in countries whose natural ecosystems do not suffice to support their Ecological Footprint. And 71 percent live in countries whose ecological deficit is compounded by low-income, adding to the challenge of affording, through trade, those resources that their own ecosystems can’t provide.
One of the most significant demands of humanity on nature stems from our carbon emissions as a result of fossil fuel burning. The carbon Footprint now makes up 60% of humanity’s Ecological Footprint. Absorbing carbon emissions competes with other demands on nature, such as producing crops, supporting grazing animals for food, wool and leather, and providing timber.
Thankfully, this year is no business as usual. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in New York last September, and the Paris Climate Agreement, signed last December, have given us the best reason for hope to date. If we are to adhere to the Paris climate goals adopted by nearly 200 countries, carbon emissions will need to gradually fall to zero by 2050. This calls for a new way of living on our planet. That path is already made possible with current technology. Economic analysis shows it is also financially advantageous with overall benefits exceeding costs, since it will stimulate emerging sectors like renewable energy, while reducing risks and costs associated with stranded assets.
The only resource we still need more of is political will. Currently, for instance, only 19 countries (mostly islands and low-lying countries) have ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, accounting for 0.18% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
Fortunately, some countries are taking action. For instance, Costa Rica generated 97 percent of its electricity from renewable sources during the first three months of 2016. Portugal, Germany and Britain also demonstrated groundbreaking levels of renewable energy capability this year, when 100% of their electricity demand was met by renewables for several minutes or, in the case of Portugal, for several days. In China, meanwhile, the government has outlined a plan to reduce its citizens’ meat consumption by 50%, which it calculates will lower the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from China’s livestock industry by 1 billion tonnes by 2030.
Furthermore, let’s bear in mind that the future we want is not the responsibility of governments alone. Balancing how much renewable natural resources we use and how much is generated is paramount for mankind to thrive on our beautiful planet. Each of us has the opportunity to participate. Through the choices we make every day as consumers and as citizens, we are already actively contributing to the world that we will be leaving for future generations.
What if the expected 3+ billion Rio Olympics viewers were as committed to taking action towards a low-carbon economy as they are excited about watching athletes compete? That shift is our most important task at hand. Building a sustainable world will take nothing less than transforming our individual and collective mindsets and setting our imaginations free.
Balakrishna Pisaputi, Coordinator, Biodiversity MEAs and SDGs, UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions
Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder and CEO, Global Footprint Network
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