Troubling Times Humans are using more resources than Earth has to offer Resources are the sources of a country's wealth such as minerals and land Our increasing demand for resources has exceeded what our planet can provide So what exactly does this mean Humans are cutting down trees faster than they can be regrown We harvest more fish than oceans can replenish or replace We send more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels than forests and oceans can absorb or take in In fact it would take approximately one and a half Earths just to keep up with the rate at which we are currently using resources The amount of land and natural resources needed to produce the goods and services we use to support our lifestyles is called our ecological footprint This measure can be for an individual a region or the entire world population Not everyone is using the world's resources equally Some are using more than others Average ecological footprints are larger in some areas than others This graph shows how many planets would be needed if everyone on Earth had the same footprint as the average residents of the countries listed below Number of Earths Needed South Africa Argentina Slovakia South Korea United States Qatar
Supporting Life As We Know It Human activities have the ability to drive change on a global scale With the current pace of climate change there is a real possibility that we will irreversibly change life on Earth The quality of life on Earth depends on our actions The key is sustainability or the ability to conserve resources and use them efficiently Everything we need for our survival and well being depends either directly or indirectly on the natural environment We cannot keep using more resources than the planet can supply in the long term Three billion people rely on fish and other seafood for protein We used to think the supply was endless We now know this is simply not true FAST FORWARD Scientists have calculated the amount of Earth's resources the global population can use each year based on the amount of resources Earth is able to renew each year Every year since the 1960s we have used more resources than the planet can replace Earth Overshoot Day marks the precise day each year when this overuse of resources begins In 1970 that day was December 23 in 2000 it was October 4 and in 2015 it was August 13 We keep borrowing from the next year's resources but eventually there will be nothing left to borrow What date do you think Earth Overshoot Day will be in 2030 Does that date Concern you Give reasons for your answer S
The Green Living Movement In 1954 a book called Living the Good Life raised attention to the topic of sustainable living The authors Helen and Scott Nearing promoted self sufficiency based on their experiences Eight years later Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring Carson's book brought awareness to the hazardous use of human made pesticides and their effect on the health of Earth's fragile ecosystems In the 1960s activists began promoting green living and drew attention to environmental issues around the world It took another 30 years but the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro Brazil brought together governments and organizations to discuss environmental issues They talked about using alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels and the need for expanding public transportation systems to decrease vehicle emissions In 2007 the United Nations published a document promoting sustainable lifestyles in communities and homes The recycling symbol called the Mobius Loop represents the cycle of using and re using materials in a sustainable
e Living Green Living green refers to living in a sustainable way To live green we need to reduce our energy needs and eat organic and locally produced food Living green begins with understanding that the choices we make affect everyone Our choices have an effect today and in the future We need to conserve our natural resources and preserve our environments because they provide us with air water food shelter and energy where we live learn work and play Reducing our energy use and using fewer harmful chemicals are ways to live green Simple actions such as walking instead of driving to the grocery store and buying locally grown vegetables instead of produce shipped over long distances are other examples To reduce their environmental impact many people ride bikes or walk to their destinations instead of using vehicles that burn fossil fuels R E W I N D Before modern times people lived off the land raising crops and animals Today the majority of the world's population lives in cities Do you think we would be concerned about green living if we still lived a more rural lifestyle Support your answer with examples from this
