HOLISTIC GAIA NEWS
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Grist, one of The Door Opener's major sources for information in this column, has some very outspoken contributors. Take a look at their site at www.grist.org for more controversial and empassioned opinions! Also, visit www.greenpeace.org for some ugly truths and the angels that are working to make things right. Living Planet Report: Humanity Now Needs 1.5 Earths Human demand is outstripping nature's regenerative capacity at an alarming rate. Humanity is now using resources and producing carbon dioxide at a rate 50 percent faster than the Earth can sustain, reveals the 2010 edition of the Living Planet Report, the leading survey of the planet's health. The biennial report, produced by WWF in collaboration with Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London, relates the Living Planet Index, a measure of the health of the world's biodiversity, to the Ecological Footprint, a measure of human demand on the Earth's natural resources. Coming as the UN-declared International Year for Biodiversity draws toward a close, the report details alarming biodiversity declines along with a rapid escalation of human demand that is far outstripping nature's regenerative capacity. The findings are particularly relevant as leaders of the world's governments met in Nagoya, Japan on October 18th to set a new agenda for addressing biodiversity loss. "The dwindling health of the world's species is no surprise considering how much of nature's services humanity is taking for its own use," said Mathis Wackernagel, President of Global Footprint Network. "Ultimately, enabling biodiversity to thrive will require bringing human demand for nature's services down to a level Earth can sustain-ably supply." The Ecological Footprint tracks human demand on ecological services against nature's regenerative capacity (biocapacity) the same way a bank statement tracks expenditures against income. The most recent figures show that in 2007, the most recent year for which data is available, humanity used the equivalent of 1.5 planets to support its activities. Put another way, it now takes a year and six months for the Earth to absorb the CO2 emissions and regenerate the renewable resources that people use in one year. Even with modest UN projections for population growth, consumption, and climate change, by 2030 humanity will need the capacity of two Earths to absorb carbon dioxide waste and keep up with natural resource consumption. "The human appetite for resources may be unlimited, but the planet's ability to sustain these needs is finite," said Wackernagel. "As our rising demand on ecological services pushes our natural systems to the breaking point, we are not only putting other species at risk, we are jeopardizing our own livelihoods and well-being." Carbon is a major culprit in driving the planet to ecological overdraft. An alarming 11-fold increase in our carbon footprint over the last five decades means carbon now accounts for more than half the global Ecological Footprint. The top 10 countries with the biggest Ecological Footprints per person are the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Denmark, Belgium, United States, Estonia, Canada, Australia, Kuwait, and Ireland. The report finds the 31 OECD countries, which include the world's highest-income nations, account for nearly 40 percent of the Global Footprint. Butthe report also shows the "BRIC" countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have a faster-growing Footprint, on a trajectory to overtake the OECD bloc if they follow the same development path. "Countries that maintain high levels of resource dependence are putting their own economies at risk," Wackernagel said. "Those countries that are able to provide the highest quality of life on the lowest amount of ecological demand will not only serve the global interest, they will have the most resilient economies in a resource-constrained world." If everyone in the world lived like a resident of the United Arab Emirates, which has the world's highest per capita Footprint, we would need the equivalent of 6 planets to regenerate our resources and absorb the CO2 emissions. If everyone lived like a resident of the United States, we would need the resources of 4.5. Countries on the other end of the spectrum such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh have per capita footprints that, in many cases, are too small to provide for basic needs. These countries may well need to increase their access to resources if they are to bring large segments of the population out of poverty. The biggest footprints are found in high-income countries, but the Living Planet Report also shows that a high footprint and high level of consumption is not always reflected in a higher level of development. An analysis of Ecological Footprint compared to the UN Human Development Index, which looks at life expectancy, income, and education, shows significant variation in footprint among countries that have achieved what the UN deems as high human development. The Report outlines solutions needed to ensure the Earth can sustain a global population many expect will exceed nine billion in 2050. It points to choices in diet and energy consumption as critical to reducing footprint, as well as improved efforts to value and invest in our natural capital. "The challenge posed by the Living Planet Report is clear," said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International. "Somehow we need to find a way to meet the needs of a growing and increasingly prosperous population within the resources of this one planet. All of us have to find a way to make better choices in what we consume and how we produce and use energy." (Source and download of the Living Planet Report 2010: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/press/LPR2010.pdf) Yale Opens New "Green" Health Center Yale Health Center, a full-service medical center for students, faculty, staff and their dependents, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in a brand new light-filled building on 55 Lock Street. All Yale Health Center departments are now fully operational. The landmark building stands at the corner of Lock and Canal Streets, adjacent to the Rose Center, which houses both the Yale Police Department headquarters and the Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center. The site had been long vacant until it was purchased by the University from the City of New Haven at the encouragement of the neighborhood. "The building signifies a renewed commitment to patient care, convenience and privacy," said Yale Health Center Director Paul Genecin, M.D. After more than two years of construction, the new center has nearly doubled the space devoted to clinical services, from an 89,000 square-foot facility built in the 1970s, to a modern 140,000 square-foot structure with an adjacent parking facility. This larger capacity means patients will have shorter waits and more privacy. The new building offers more space, more flexibility and more clinical options-all in a fully wheelchair-accessible, sustainable facility. Most materials used in construction of the new Yale Health Center are environmentally friendly, with features such as a glass scoop to allow in more natural light, and a rooftop garden to serve as a healing sanctuary for patients and visitors. The building will be LEED-certified and will be the first in Connecticut to receive the Green Guide for Health Care for integrating enhanced environmental and health principles and practices into the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility. For patients, visitors and staff, this means exposure to fewer pollutants with more natural light. Canine Lifeguards - Lifedogs Never underestimate the power of a strong doggie paddle! Every summer hoards of beach-goers swarm the Italian coasts, and each year, the Italian Coast Guard estimates they rescue 3,000 people. Working alongside them is a team of very specialized lifeguards who are responsible for saving many lives during these seaside months - the graduates of canine lifeguarding school. "Dogs are useful in containing the physical fatigue of the lifeguard, to increase the speed at which casualties are retrieved, to increase the security of both the casualty and of the lifeguard,"Roberto Gasbarri, coordinator of the Italian School of Canine Lifeguards, told the Associated Press. The program is three years long and trains dogs to rescue swimmers in trouble. The lifedogs wear buoys or tow a raft on which the victim can hold on while the dogs pull them to safety. The pups are particularly useful in missions where they need to jump from helicopters or fast boats, as they are much more capable than humans in these extreme situations. "The dog becomes a sort of intelligent lifebuoy," said Gasbarri. "It is a buoy that goes by itself to a person in need of help, and comes back to the shore also by himself, choosing the best landing point and swimming through the safest currents." There are currently 300 life-saving pups deployed on the Italian coast lines. Most of the dogs tend to be retrievers, but the only requirement to become a lifedog is weighing more than 66 lbs. "Being retrievers, they set out to pick up anything we tell them, be it a human being, an object, or a fish, and they bring it back to the shore," said lifeguard Monia Luciani. "They do not associate it with a physical activity, but it is rather a game for them." (Source: Tonic.com) |