The Living Planet Report 2008 (part I)
1 CommentThe Living Planet Report 2008, published last week by WWF, is both frightening and reassuring. If we want to keep this lifestyle, in 2030 we will need the resources provided by two planets like the Earth. This means that we are consuming resources at a faster rate than they can be replenished. Now, if I were told that to keep my lifestyle I will soon need to work 48 hours a day, I know I better start cutting on some expenses now, since my days are only 24-hour long, and sometimes, actually often, I wonder why they feel so much shorter. Since we do not have another planet, we obviously need to act now. This is not a matter of being into ecology or an environmentalist anymore, nor it is a question of whether is right or wrong to exploit the Earth resources as we do. It is a matter of survival, and honestly, of being smart or stupid. No one in his right mind can ignore this anymore! Luckily the report states that it is not too late to react. So let’s have a closer look at it.
The Living Planet Report 2008 uses three main indexes for defining the state of our planet:
- the Living Planet Index that describes the state of planet’s biodiversity. This is based on populations of different species, both globally and in bio-geographic area (temperate, tropical, etc.). This index has declined by about 30% since 1970, which means there are much less species around on the Earth.
- the Ecological Footprint that measures the extend of demands that human beings place om these ecosystems. This index measures the human footprint on Earth, which now exceeds by about 30% the ability of the planet to regenerate itself.
- Finally, the Water Footprint, measuring the demand of water resources. This index has been introduced given the fact that many geographical areas in the world alredy suffer from water shortages. This is likely to increase due to the effect of climate changes.
But why do we care if some species will disappear from Earth? Can’t we, human being, live in peace and stop worrying about Pandas and others of that kind? After all, extinction of species is not something we have introduced: think about dinosaurs! Well, here is why we need to think about it. It has to do once again with our own survival as specie. In fact, according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) humanity depends on healthy ecosystems for his own survival. Ecosystems provide us with services, such as:
1. nutrient recycling, soil formation and primary production (supporting services)
2. production of food, freshwater, materials or fuels (provisioning services)
3. climate and food regulation, water purification, pollination and pest control (regulating services)
4. aesthetic, spiritual, educational and recreational services (cultural services)
If ecosystems are not healthy, they will simply not be able to provide us with the services that we need for our own survival. Since services 1,3 and 4 have no commercial use, because they do not have a market value, their decline will not affect the global or local economy. The market will naturally push toward exploiting resources and undermining ecosystems, in order to maximize the profits. Thus, we need to be proactive in protecting them.
So, what can be done? (read part II)
Tags: Earth > ecological footprint > ecosystem > human footprint > Living Planet Report > resources > water shortage
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February 10th, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
[...] services which are provided by nature for free, and that I have discussed already in a previous post. There have been several reports pointing out the economical costs of biodiversity loss, and [...]