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Our earth under fire

26 October 2010

If the world’s population continues its addiction to a high-energy diet of meat, dairy and fossil fuels , the planet will not be able to sustain the 9bn people who will inhabit it by 2050.

This is evident from the findings in the WWF’s Living Planet Report, which it produces with the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network every two years. It measures the rate at which the earth’s health and biodiversity is being destroyed by over- consumption.

Declining biodiversity is a threat to human survival. “œHealthy ecosystems form the foundation of all that we have “” lose them and we lose our life support systems,” says Jonathan Baillie of the Zoological Society.

For the first time the report examines trends in biodiversity by country income, which highlights the rate of biodiversity loss in low-income countries.

The consequence that South Africa faces is a threat to its food, water and energy security. “œThe era of cheap and abundant food is over,” says Tatjana van Bormann, coordinator of the WWF’s GreenChoice Programme.

“œBy 2035 our population will reach 82m if it continues to grow at 2%/year. Feeding this population is not a simple case of increasing production “” already 80% of SA’s land is dedicated to agriculture “” and of this only 11% is truly arable. We need to make changes to the way we produce and consume food.”

The way SA utilises water is another concern. According to the Living Planet Report, 71 countries are experiencing some stress on blue water sources (the sources people use and don’t return) and two-thirds of these, including SA, are severely stressed.

“œUrgent action is required,” says WWF SA CEO Morné du Plessis, “œbut we have a window of opportunity to make the necessary changes. These changes must focus on catalysing the green economy, which involves renewable energy, investing in natural capital and other factors “” not just to alleviate this crisis, but provide a way out of the poverty trap that mires so many of our people.”

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