August 20 was Earth Overshoot Day 2013. This marks the date when globally we have consumed all the resources the earth has created for the year. Our consumption and footprint for the rest of 2013 will be further degrading the planet’s capacity to support life – ours and all others.
This alarming milestone is coming earlier each year. In 1993, when Earth Overshoot Day began, the date fell on October 21. Human consumption first surpassed what the planet could reproduce in the 1970s.
The earlier timing reflects the comibination of humanity’s global environmental footprint increasing together with a decline in the bio-capacity of the Earth as forests are cleared, water systems are degraded, soils are depleted, species are threated and climate change takes hold. While only a rough estimate of time and resource trends, Earth Overshoot Day is as close as science can be to measuring the gap between our demand for ecological resources and services, and how much the planet can provide.
It’s an alarming picture.
Read more at Earth Overshoot Day 2013
Source: Global Footprint Network
I think the factors in this are – perhaps uncomfortably – clear:
* We are dependent (to the tune of 90% in Australia) on fossil fuels. They renew every 250 million to 325 million years;
* We (or perhaps the politicians) are chasing economic growth as a ‘god-like’ measure of economic success (despite it increasing with things like traffic congestion);
* Few of us (it seems to me with the world I observe) pause to think when buying. Pause. Buy? Okay if you wish to but pause first. Pause. “Did my ancestors for the past 150,000 years use this?” As I see it, in terms of the materials economy, it can only satisfy our physiological needs e.g. drinking, eating, maintaining homeostasis, excretion, sleep, breathing etc. ***Perhaps*** (i.e. my own mind is not made up entirely here) the assistance it gives to communications and transport add value as well.
Once these have been met, time after time and in place after place it has been shown that wellbeing (or happiness) is not increased with materialistic advancements. Additional wellbeing comes with interpersonal connections, relationships, finding and doing what you enjoy doing. If you love doing something, meaning exists in the doing itself.. because you love it. Also seeing others being able to do their thing (which comes back to heallthy relationships).
On my end, the above are not uncomfortable elements. They show us the way. Furthermore, each of us is unique. That can be difficult at times but it also means that each of us has a place in moving this world to a place which can.. at the least.. sustain itself. A place where each person has a chance at life – and indeed a full life. As I, for one, see it i.e. in Australia where I was born and have lived my entire life – meeting this responsibility is a *joyous* activity. It is where joy itself springs from.
As always, I welcome any and all replies (my email address is tom.369@hotmail.com). I am unsure if I am notified of replies that are made here so, if you make one (i.e. **a reply**), I ask that you send me a short email. The web link will suffice.
Thank-you to all for taking time to read my words and for any consideration you have given to them.
Best regards,
Tom Livanos.
tom.369@hotmail.com