PLANET ENTERS ECOLOGICAL DEBT

Planet enters ‘ecological debt’
Rising consumption of natural resources means that humans began “eating the planet” on 9 October 2006 , a study suggests.
The
date symbolised the day of the year when people’s demands exceeded the
Earth’s ability to supply resources and absorb the demands placed upon
it.The figures’ authors said the world first “ecological debt day” fell
on 19 December 1987, but economic growth had seen it fall earlier each
year.The data was produced by a US-based think-tank, Global Footprint
Network.The New Economics Foundation (Nef), a UK think-tank that helped
compile the report, had published a study that said Britain’s
“ecological debt day” in 2006 fell on 16 April.The authors said this
year’s global ecological debt day meant that it would take the Earth 15
months to regenerate what was consumed this year.

‘Eco-footprints’
The findings are based on the concept
of “ecological footprints”, a system of measuring how much land and
water a human population needs to produce the resources it consumes and
absorb the resulting waste.Global Footprint Network’s executive
director, Mathis Wackernagel, said humanity was living off its
“ecological credit card” and was “liquidating the planet’s natural
resources”.”While this can be done for a short while, overshoot
ultimately leads to the depletion of resources, such as forests, oceans
and agricultural land, upon which our economy depends,” Mr Wackernagel
said.Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International
Political Economy (Ecipe), a Brussels-based think tank, said he
applauded the authors on their innovative way of focusing attention to
the issue of resource depletion.But he added he found the concept of
ecological debt to be “quite ludicrous”.”When it comes to using
footprints as a way to follow the micro effects of various economic
behaviours on the environment, it can be quite good,” Mr Erixon
said.”But the way they are collecting and assessing information is
wrong. We don’t really get any serious information out of this.”He also
questioned the use of the term “debt”: “A debt is where you have
over-savings in one area of the economy, and under-savings in
another.”Then you have a transfer of savings from one actor to another
in the form of a loan. But who are we indebted to?” Mr Erixon
asked.”Perhaps ‘ecological exuberance’ is better than ecological
debt.”He added that history had shown that technological advances had
led to more efficient uses of natural resources, and had sustained
economic growth