What does it mean to Wales?
It is often somebody else, somewhere else that is paying the price of our consumption – whether it is the people who live in the rainforest in Brazil, the savannah of South America or the hippo in Uganda. But Wales too is feeling the pinch –waste is increasing, millions are being spent on flood defences due to climate change and certain fish such as cod are in serious decline.
Globally, people are using about 25% more natural resources than the planet can replace. In the UK, we’re consuming three times our fair share of the planet’s natural resources. We face an ‘ecological overshoot’ that will have severe consequences for both people and nature unless we humans change the way we live.
Although advances in technology have helped people to produce things more efficiently, the benefits have been swamped by ever-higher levels of consumption by affluent Western economies and the growing middle classes in the developing world.
Some 70% of humanity’s global footprint arises from carbon emissions; other pressures are linked to commodities such as crops, meat, fish and wood, and the freshwater we take from rivers and lakes.
In seeking to address Wales’ current three – planet lifestyle WWF Cymru is seeking a One Planet Future where both people and nature thrive within their fair share of what’s available. WWF is developing a range of One Planet Sustainability Products
We know now that policies in pursuit of relentless economic growth result in an increase in footprint, and do not necessarily improve quality of life. More does not mean better. The Ecological Footprint helps to guide governments, businesses and individuals towards economic, environmental and social progress – genuine well-being. WWF Cymru has a vision for a One Planet Wales which is supported by Jane Davdison, Minister for Housing, Sustainability and the Environment