WWF warns that increasing consumption, inefficiency in the use of resources and population growth are the three main causes of the loss of natural capital. This is reflected in the new WWF Living Planet Report, a document that underscores the need for a thorough review of the development model in the face of the planet's pressure.
The organization insists that this debate must provide solutions during the celebration of the Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20). The Ecological Footprint of the world is such that humanity would need 1.5 planets Earth to meet the demand for resources, more than two in 2030 and almost three by 2050. Spain consumes today It is the equivalent of more than three countries.
The most shocking data:
Two out of three people will live in a city in 2050
Every year 13 million hectares are destroyed. of forest mass
500 million people, affected by the construction of dams
52% of stocks of marine fish, fully exploited
Between 1996 and 2005, 92% of the water consumed by agriculture
Only one third of the world's rivers of more than 1, 000 km, without dams in their main channels
In 40 years, Spain has doubled its global ecological footprint
WWF solutions:
Protect the natural capital
Produce more efficiently
Consume more responsibly
Reorient financial flows
Manage resources equitably
WWF, in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network, has published since 1998 the Living Planet Report that analyzes the pressure of humanity's consumption on natural resources and the rate of biodiversity loss. In this ninth edition, an analysis of the trends of 9, 014 populations of 2, 688 species is included, the relationship between biodiversity, biocapacity and human development is highlighted, socio-economic aspects are deepened and, by For the first time, water availability is calculated throughout the year in the main river basins of the world.
The Living Planet Index (IPV) is already one of the benchmark indicators to measure the state of global biodiversity, analyzing the evolution of populations of vertebrate species. In the last 38 years, the IPV has fallen by almost 30%, especially in the tropics, where it has decreased by 60%. The tropical freshwater index has been the one with the greatest decrease, 70%.
On the other hand, the Ecological Footprint analyzes the human demands on the biosphere, comparing the consumption of humanity with the regenerative capacity of the Earth, or biocapacity. The report highlights that in 2008 the Ecological Footprint exceeded biocapacity by more than half. This means that the Earth needs 1.5 years to regenerate the renewable resources used in 2008. Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Denmark and the USA. They are the five countries in the world with the largest Ecological Footprint. Our country occupies the 25th position and, at the current rate of consumption, would need “3.25 Spain”. The study also highlights the serious situation of the world's river basins: 2.7 billion people live with a severe water shortage for at least one month a year.
Other worrying data highlighted in the report are those related to deforestation and forest degradation, CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, the collapse of fisheries - whose catches have multiplied by five, from 19 million tons in 1950 to 87 million. tons in 2005, conflicts over land, or the vertiginous increase in urban population, which currently accounts for 47% of the total world population.
The report proposes a series of solutions to reverse the situation and live on the limits of a planet. These are 16 priority measures around five major challenges: protect natural capital, produce more efficiently, consume more responsibly, redirect financial flows and manage resources equitably.
Juan Carlos del Olmo, Secretary General of WWF Spain, points out: “We live as if we had an extra planet at our disposal and this situation is unsustainable and unfair, because it is the poorest and most vulnerable countries that are suffering especially the loss of biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental services on which all living things depend. ” And concludes: "The challenges are clear in the report, so Rio +20 should be the time to start the true path to sustainability."
CONTACT INFORMATION:
http://www.wwf.es
