Impact links

I thought I would put up here a number of links that might just be of interest in our ESS task to consider our impacts on the planet…..  You might find them thought-provoking and challenging…..

1. A BBC report from 2015 on the ‘How many planets would we need if everyone consumed like’, question.
   • Do look at the visual and the table…. the table is particularly interesting in the sense that it seems to suggest that sustainability performance might be a function of culture…..
2. Earth Overshoot Day.  (Footprint Network)
   • An interesting concept/way of looking at the issue.  Did you know that by August 8th this year we had effectively used up Nature’s ‘budget’ for the year?  That is to say that from August 9th to the end of the year we were ‘overshooting’: using more of the Earth’s resources than we should be. In a financial parallel we have spent our income for the year and are ‘borrowing’ what we can’t afford to pay back.  The worry is two-fold: that we are ‘overshooting’ our target (still consuming far too much that cannot be replaced) and that that date is coming earlier every year (we are accelerating our ‘borrowing’).
   • Overshoot by Nations
     • France …. not good but very slowly clawing back the overshoot
     • Bhutan …. good!  Living within the ability of the Earth’s resources in Bhutan… but look, the gap is closing: resource availability is shrinking and resource demand is rising…
     • UK. …  not good.  Like France BUT the UK is five times smaller than France with the same population: so the use of bio-resources is much more intense
     • Oman. … Just look at the upward trend.  Oman is having its industrial revolution: its resource capacity has plummeted and demand is going up incessantly.
     • Interactive global map of overshoot.  How is your country doing against others?  Do have a look at the various maps and measures – they are interesting!

If anyone comes across other helpful links on this topic of our impact upon the environment, please tell me why they are interesting and send me a link and I’ll put it up.  Thanks, in advance. TJ