go green globe

go green globe

The 'Living Planet Report' makes the terrifying inference that the world's population of vertebrate species have declined by a third since 1970, thus confirming the worst of human fears: that humanity is using up the planet's resources at a much faster rate than which they can be produced. Carter S. Roberts, President and CEO of the WWF, commented:

"The bottom line of this report could not be more clear - for twenty years we've lived our lives in a way that far exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth. The choices we make today will shape the possibilities for the generations which follow us. The fact that we live beyond our means in our use of natural resources will surely limit opportunities for future generations to follow."

In fact, the USA, as the world's foremost consumer society, is seen to be at the forefront of what the WWF report calls 'resource overshoot' - the use of more resources than is sustainable by the planet. This makes it all the more important for institutions in the USA - including the government, parents and teachers - to teach our children (the "future generations" that Roberts talks about) with such concern of exactly how harmful human behaviour can be to the planet.