ne Planet Lifestyle - WWF-India

What is our ‘Ecological Footprint’?The Earth has about 13.6 billion hectares of land and sea capable of providing us with what we need to feed and clothe us, keep us warm andbuild shelter, and also to absorb our carbon emissions and other wastes. As the world’s population is currently about 6.5 billion, this means thatthere are just over 2 hectares for everyone of us to meet our needs from.Ecological “footprinting” is a new science thatallows us to calculate how much of the earth’sresources we are using AND whether or notthis is sustainable.WWF’s “Living Planet Report” tells us that,although there are 13.6 billion hectares of“bio-productive” land and sea on Earth, ouractual ecological footprint is equivalent to 17.5billion hectares…For example, we have been catching fishfaster than they can repopulate the seas. Everyton of fish we eat needs 25 hectares of fishinggrounds to support it.But the amount of fish consumed each yearby an average family of four in the developedworld needs almost 3 soccer pitches of seato produce it. Today, many of the world’s fishstocks are virtually extinct.Climate change is another example. Ourcarbon emissions are greater than the planet’sability to absorb them. Every ton of carbon weemit into the atmosphere needs 0.35 hectaresof forest to absorb it. The yearly carbonfootprint of EVERY consumer in a rich countryis equivalent to about 6 soccer pitches.Extreme weather events are now becomingincreasingly frequent, and more violent.For more information visitwww.panda.org...to 1999.10 The WWF Pocket Guide to a One Planet Lifestyle // www.panda.org/oneplanetFish stocks around the world declineddramatically from 1900...EXITSEARCHPRINTBACKNEXT