Greed will trigger ‘ecosystem collapse’

A large-scale ecosystem collapse within 50 years is likely if current global consumption levels are not cut by half, an environmental group has warned.

The WWF’s Living Planet Report, published every other year, said the natural world was being degraded “at a rate unprecedented in human history”.

The report, released on Tuesday, showed relentless growth in demand on the earth’s capacity to produce clean air, and to provide raw materials, food and energy.
James Leape, WWF’s director-general, said: “We are in serious ecological overshoot, consuming resources faster than the earth can replace them. The consequences of this are predictable and dire.

“The cities, power plants and homes we build today will either lock society into damaging over-consumption beyond our lifetimes, or begin to propel this and future generations towards sustainable living.”

Two years ago, the same report based on 2001 data said the world’s population was already outstripping the earth’s capacity to regenerate resources by just over 20 per cent.

The 2006 edition of the WWF report said that figure had risen to 25 per cent in 2003.

Al Jazzera