WWF Living Planet Report 2006

WWF also known as World Wildlife Fund in the USA and Canada is one of the worlds largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWFs mission is to stop the degradation of the planets natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London ZSL is an international scientific, conservation, and educational organization. Its mission is to achieve and promote the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs London Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology, and is actively involved in field conservation worldwide. 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 Earths ecological limits. 1. WWF INTERNATIONAL Avenue du MontBlanc CH1196 Gland Switzerland www.panda.org 2. INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY Zoological Society of London Regents Park London NW1 4RY, UK www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz 3. GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK 1050 Warfield Ave Oakland, CA 94610, USA www.footprintnetwork.org Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Living Planet Index 4 Terrestrial Species 6 Marine Species 8 Freshwater Species 10 Water Withdrawals 12 Ecological Footprint 14 World Footprint 16 The Footprint by Region and Income Group 18 The Footprint and Human Development 19 Scenarios 20 Business as Usual 22 Slow Shift 23 Rapid Reduction 24 Shrink and Share 25 Transition to a Sustainable Society 26 Tables 28 The Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity 28 The Living Planet Through Time 36 Living Planet Index: Technical Notes 37 Ecological Footprint: Frequently Asked Questions 38 References and Further Reading 40 Acknowledgements 41 EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris Hails1 EDITORS Jonathan Loh1, 2 Steven Goldfinger3 LIVING PLANET INDEX Jonathan Loh1, 2 Ben Collen2 Louise McRae2 Sarah Holbrook2 Rajan Amin2 Mala Ram2 Jonathan E.M. Baillie2 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Mathis Wackernagel3 Steven Goldfinger3 Justin Kitzes3 Audrey Peller3 Jonathan Loh1, 2 Paul Wermer3 Gary Gibson3 Josh Kearns3 Robert Williams3 Susan Burns3 Brooking Gatewood3 SCENARIOS Mathis Wackernagel3 Justin Kitzes3 Steven Goldfinger3 Audrey Peller3 Jonathan Loh1, 2 C O N T E N T S
1LIVING PLANET REPORT 2006 WWFbegan its Living Planet Reports in 1998 toshow the state of the natural world and the impact of human activity upon it. Since then we have continuously refined and developed our measures of the state of the Earth. And it is not good news. The Living Planet Report 2006 confirms that we are using the planets resources faster than they can be renewed the latest data available for 2003 indicate that humanitys Ecological Footprint, our impact upon the planet, has more than tripled since 1961. Our footprint now exceeds the worlds ability to regenerate by about 25 per cent. The consequences of our accelerating pressure on Earths natural systems are both predictable and dire. The other index in this report, the Living Planet Index, shows a rapid and continuing loss of biodiversity populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970. This confirms previous trends. The message of these two indices is clear and urgent: we have been exceeding the Earths ability to support our life styles for the past 20 years, and we need to stop. We must balance our consumption with the natural worlds capacity to regenerate and absorb our wastes. If we do not, we risk irreversible damage. We know where to start. The biggest contributor to our footprint is the way in which we generate and use energy. The Living Planet Report indicates that our reliance on fossil fuels to meet our energy needs continues to grow and that climatechanging emissions now make up 48 per cent almost half of our global footprint. We also know, from this report, that the challenge of reducing our footprint goes to the very heart of our current models for economic development. Comparing the Ecological Footprint with a recognized measure of human development, the United Nations Human Development Index, the report clearly shows that what we currently accept as high development is a long way away from the worlds stated aim of sustainable development. As countries improve the well being of their people, they are bypassing the goal of sustainability and going into what we call overshoot using far more resources than the planet can sustain.
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