·
BBC (2016) How many people can our planet really
support? By Vivien Cumming. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story
/20160311-how-many-people-can-our-planet-really-support. (Accessed: 31st
December 2017).
- "It is not the number of people on the planet that is the issue – but the number of consumers and the scale and nature of their consumption," says David Satterthwaite, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. He quotes Gandhi: "The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."
- "It is not the number of people on the planet that is the issue – but the number of consumers and the scale and nature of their consumption."
- Citizens of more affluent nations leave a much greater footprint on our planet than people living in poorer countries – although there are exceptions. Copenhagen is the capital of a high-income nation – Denmark – while Porto Alegre is in upper-middle-income Brazil. Living standards are high in both cities, yet per capita emissions are relatively low.
- "People living in high-income nations must play their part if the world is to sustain a large human population."
- The real concern would be if the people living in these areas decided to demand the lifestyles and consumption rates currently considered normal in high-income nations; something many would argue is only fair. If they do, the impact of urban population growth could be much larger.
- This leads to an uncomfortable implication: people living in high-income nations must play their part if the world is to sustain a large human population. Only when wealthier groups are prepared to adopt low-carbon lifestyles, and to permit their governments to support such a seemingly unpopular move, will we reduce the pressure on global climate, resource and waste issues.
- "If we change our consumption habits, this would have a drastic effect on our environmental footprint as well."
- The analysis showed that household consumers are responsible for more than 60% of the globe's greenhouse gas emissions, and up to 80% of the world's land, material and water use. What's more, the researchers found that the footprints are unevenly distributed across regions, with wealthier countries generating the most impacts per household.
- For instance, consumers in the west might argue that countries that produce many consumer goods, such as China, should take responsibility for the emissions needed to make them. Ivanova and her colleagues argue the consumers themselves are just as responsible. "If we change our consumption habits, this would have a drastic effect on our environmental footprint as well."
- "Creating a sustainable population is as much about boosting women's rights as it is about reducing consumption of resources."
- "Earth is our only home and we must find a way to live on it sustainably."
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