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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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Humans 'using one and a half planets' worth of resources and will need
two Earths by 2030'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1320419/Humans-using-half-planets-worth-resources-need-Earths-2030.html
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:39 PM on 14th October 2010
(Refer to url above for videos and flash presentations)
Human demands on natural resources have doubled in under 50 years and
are now outstripping what the Earth can provide by more than half, a
new report has warned.
And humanity carries on as it is in use of resources, globally it will
need the capacity of two Earths by 2030, the biennial Living Planet
Report said.
Wildlife in tropical countries is also under huge pressure, with
populations of species falling by 60 per cent in three decades.
And the report, from the WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the
Global Footprint Network, said British people are still consuming far
more than the Earth can cope with.
Scroll down to access the WWF's interactive maps
Arenal National Park in Costa Rica. A new report has warned that
humans are overusing the planet's resources
If everyone lived such a lifestyle, humans would need 2.75 planets to
survive, it warned.
The world's people are now living lifestyles which would require one
and a half planets to sustain, though there are significant
differences between rich and poor nations.
The study's authors looked at 8,000 populations of 2,500 species and
studied the change in land use and water consumption across the globe.
The UK comes 31st in a list of countries based on their 'ecological
footprint' - the amount of land and sea each person needs to provide
the food, clothes and other products they consume and to absorb the
carbon dioxide they emit.
The country has fallen down the league table from having the 15th
biggest footprint in the last report two years ago, but WWF attributes
this to an increase in other countries' impact rather than a reduction
in the UK's use of resources.
Ireland has the 10th highest ecological footprint in the world, while
the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Denmark, Belgium and the US are the
five worst countries for over-consumption of resources.
Much of the 'ecological overshoot' is caused by the world's rising
carbon footprint, which has increased 11-fold since 1961.
It also carried a warning about the loss of wildlife and ecosystems
which people depend on for food, fuel, clean water and other resources
- with populations of species declining by 30 per cent worldwide
between 1970 and 2007.
In tropical regions the decline is 60 per cent, but populations have
recovered by 30% in temperate areas, where more rich countries are
found, possibly due to those nations starting from a lower baseline
and efforts to tackle pollution, improve air and water quality,
increase forests and conserve wildlife.
The steepest declines in wildlife are happening in low-income
countries, which the report warns has serious implications for people
depending on those ecosystems as they will struggle to break out of
poverty without access to clean water, land, adequate food and
materials.
The biggest ecological footprint is made by rich countries - on
average five times that found in developing nations - suggesting that
unsustainable consumption in wealthier countries relies on depleting
resources in poorer parts of the world.
The report also looks at how changes in diet and energy sources could
affect humanity's ecological impact, for example the pressure put on
land for food and forest products.
The study suggests that if the expected global population of 9.2
billion people in 2050 were to eat a typical Malaysian diet, we would
need 1.3 planets to sustain us but if everyone were to eat an Italian
diet, humanity would need closer to two planets.
The report is released ahead of international talks in Nagoya, Japan,
next week, which aim to address losses in biodiversity - species and
ecosystems - being seen around the world.
David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF-UK said: 'The loss of
biodiversity and habitats undermines the natural systems upon which we
depend for the food we eat, the air we breathe and the stable climate
we need.
'The depletion of natural resources caused by human consumption also
poses risks to our economic security: for instance, scarcity of
resources and degraded natural systems will increase the price of
food, raw materials and other commodities.'
He urged action by the Government, businesses and people in the UK to
'fundamentally rethink our relationship with the planet'.
He said: 'This report shows that we need a new green economy which
assigns genuine value to the benefits we get from nature:
biodiversity, the natural systems which provide goods and services
like water, and ultimately our own well-being.
'The new coalition Government can take a lead by putting green
investment and real sustainability at the heart of its
decision-making.'
Mathis Wackernagel, president of the Global Footprint Network, which
has developed the ecological footprint measure, said: 'Countries that
maintain high levels of resource dependence are putting their own
economies at risk.
'Those countries that are able to provide the highest quality of life
on the lowest amount of ecological demand will not only serve the
global interest, they will be the leaders in a resource-constrained
world.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1320419/Humans-using-half-planets-worth-resources-need-Earths-2030.html#ixzz12QWQFYIM
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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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