Living Planet Report 2008 - "Avoiding a Natural Resource Meltdown"

DOWNLOAD THE LIVING PLANET 2008 REPORT HERE (PDF)

In times like this, in what some would call a "recession" we see billion dollar bailouts, we see our stock and retirement money just disappearing. But what are we not seeing? Well with the new WWF Living Planet Report 2008 release it seems we are missing a lot. The report which is produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Global Footprint Network (GFN), highlights a grim future, especially for the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Kuwait. Which says that these nations have the highest ecological footprint per person. On the other end of the spectrum, the report highlights places like Haiti and the Congo who have some of the lowest ecological footprints but are burdened with high exports to other nations causing a future of degrading biocapacity from deforestation and increased demands.

This years report has some new features in it, such as new measures of global, national and individual water footprints to existing measures of the Ecological Footprint of human demand on natural resources and the Living Planet Index, a measure of the state of nature. Which is pretty cool, but also pretty frightening when you look at the statistics. Another new feature this year is a new water footprint measurement which illustrates the significance of water traded in the form of commodities; for example, the production of a cotton T-shirt requires 765 gallons of water. On average, each person consumes 327,177 gallons (about half an Olympic swimming pool) of water a year, but this varies from 654,354 gallons per person a year (USA) to 163,325 gallons per capita annually (Yemen). Approximately 50 countries are currently facing moderate or severe water stress and the number of people suffering from year-round or seasonal water shortages is expected to increase as a result of climate change, the report finds. I highly suggest you click the link above and read through the report if you are interested in learning more.

Some useful links:

DOWNLOAD THE LIVING PLANET 2008 REPORT HERE (PDF)

The WWF-US ‘Greenprint’ for the next U.S. administration can be downloaded at www.worldwildlife.org/greenprint

The report and additional multimedia materials including broadcast quality video can be found at http://wwf.extranet.largeblue.net/mA1aGb73.html

ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

ABOUT ZSL
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in over forty countries worldwide. www.zsl.org

ABOUT GFN
The Global Footprint Network promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable. Together with its partners, the network coordinates research, develops methodological standards, and provides decision makers with robust resource accounts to help the human economy operate within the Earth’s ecological limits. www.footprintnetwork.org.