Australians have one of biggest footprints in the world: WWF
24 Oct 2006
Ongoing water shortages, continued loss of species and the decline of our natural icons are the products of over-consumption in Australia, which ranks in the top ten countries in terms of living unsustainably, says WWF, the global conservation organisation.
A major new international report by WWF has found Australians still have one of the biggest ecological footprints in the world, and that we produce more greenhouse gases per person than most other countries on the planet.
WWF's Living Planet Report 2006, the organisation's biennial statement on the state of the natural world, says on current projections humanity will be using two planet's worth of natural resources by 2050.
Australia's Ecological Footprint - which is the amount of land and water area a human population uses to support its lifestyle - is currently at 6.6 global hectares per person per year behind countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Kuwait, but above the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Japan.
"The report confirms why it is that we are experiencing the kinds of problems we are right now, such as critical water shortages, the unprecedented decline of species, stressed fisheries and land degradation," said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.
"If the rest of the world led the kind of lifestyles we do here in Australia, we would require three and a half planets to provide the resources we use and to absorb the waste we create."
The report shows humanity's footprint has more than tripled between 1961 and 2003, and that our footprint now exceeds the world's ability to regenerate by about 25%. In the previous report, released in 2004, this figure was 21%.
In Australia, carbon dioxide continues to be the single largest component and accounts for about 51% of our ecological footprint.
"Cutting carbon dioxide emissions and setting targets for greenhouse gas reductions are essential if Australia is to reduce its ecological footprint to sustainable levels," Mr Bourne said.
WWF is calling on the Australian Government to set a greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 30% by 2030, which will put us on the path for a 60% reduction by 2050, as recommended by the world's leading climate scientists.
WWF is also calling for an end to land clearing in Australia, which is the number one threat to biodiversity in this country, and for the implementation of a system of ecological accounting along the same lines as Australia's national accounts.
Mr Bourne said governments, businesses and households could all take action to reduce Australia's footprint.
"Many Australian businesses are already taking steps to reduce their footprint. The businesses of the future will use resources efficiently, produce minimal pollution, and provide product and services with a light footprint," he said.
WWF's Director General James Leape said civilisations around the world needed to rethink the way they used natural resources.
"It is time to make some vital choices. 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," said Mr Leape.
Find out more
Charlie Stevens, Press Officer, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 8202 1274
Mobile: 0424 649 689
Email: cstevens@wwf.org.au
