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Rapid population growth coupled with high levels of consumption and irresponsible corporate decision making, have also created a number of social and political tensions around the world. The unsustainable consumption of water, fossil fuels, and other natural resources by industrialized countries places unnecessary stress on developing countries and jeopardizes the health of poor and marginalized people. In various countries, communities must live with environmental damage and economic stress resulting from oil drilling that feeds the fossil fuel appetite of the U.S. and other industrialized nations. "Clearly, Western Nations have been the key driver of climate change so far. Between 1950 and 2000, the United States was responsible for 212 gigatons of carbon dioxide, whereas India was responsible for less than 10 percent as much. So it is clear that the richest people on the planet are appropriating more than their fair share of "environmental space." Yet their lifestyle is increasingly what the rest of the world aspires to." Fact: In 2006, industrial countries, with less than 20 percent of the world's population, contributed roughly 40 percent of global carbon emissions, and they are responsible for more than 60 percent of the total carbon dioxide that fossil fuel combustion has added to the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution began. But this picture is now changing rapidly, particularly in China, where emissions are now rising at 10 percent a year--10 times the average rate in industrial nations. By 2006, China's fossil fuel emissions were only 12 percent below the United States--and gaining rapidly.
Our Ecological Footprint- Local and Global: In a world that is increasingly impacted by the effects of globalization, consumption and waste production patterns in the U.S. are far-reaching, affecting environmental and human health locally and globally. Our unsustainable practices, whether it be water use, deforestation, or greenhouse gas emissions, impact many of our world neighbors.
So... Just How Big Is Our Footprint?
More Information: H20: Biodiversity/Habitat Loss:
Fossil fuel consumption:
Make It Your Business - Find out what you can do! Knowing Our Power | Corporate Accountability | TAKE ACTION TODAY! As consumers in a nation full of choices, we have an opportunity to invest in a more sustainable future, rather than perpetuate consumption patterns that exacerbate the destruction of the environment and the social inequalities around the world. The purchases we make directly impact the global environment. We have the power to influence a more sustainable use of the world's resources and ensure a more equitable distribution among the world's citizens. If we do want to create a more sustainable world, we must work to reduce our overall consumption of natural resources, shift our consumption toward green goods produced by sustainable businesses using clean, efficient technology and promote efforts to slow population growth. Corporations from all over the world also have a responsibility to conserve our global natural resources and protect the health of communities. However, it's the consumer's responsibility to make sure companies are maintaining strong environmental and health standards through exercising our buying power! "Corporate accountability" is the idea that companies should be responsible for all of their actions and products, including the health and environmental problems associated with the corporate decisions they make. By supporting companies that are both open and responsible about their actions, each one of us can positively impact the effects industry has on the environment and on our global neighbors.
·UNFPA, The State of the World Population 2001 ·Population Connection, Population and Environment Fact Sheet ·World Resources Institute, EarthTrends Environmental Information ·Department of Energy; Energy Information Administration ·World Health Organization ·U.S. Department of Energy ·Energy Information Administration Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
Ever-accelerating human consumption of natural resources lies at the root of many of our global environmental problems. Current consumption patterns stress limited natural resources, contribute to global warming, and create wasteful and even toxic byproducts that affect the quality of life and the health of communities around the world. Add global population growth to the mix, and it becomes increasingly clear how the health of the ecosystems we depend on for survival are being compromised.
On a local level we can see how our daily consumer decisions impact the air or water quality of the city or state in which we live. Yet, it's much harder to conceive of how our purchasing or driving decisions affect the rest of the world. Every person determines the size of his or her local ecological footprint when choosing to recycle and reduce the amount of waste produced. Making the decision to purchase locally grown food, thus reducing the amount of fossil fuels required to package and ship the food, limits the amount of CO2 emissions produced that pollute the air we all breathe and the atmosphere we all share.
H20: The affects of water scarcity are felt by four of every 10 people and impact every continent throughout the world. Population growth and rising urbanization patterns throughout the developing world add stress to limited resources through increased water usage. It is projected that by 2025, almost 2 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water shortage. Industrialization and inadequate sanitation directly affect available freshwater sources and increase the spread of diseases (including cholera, typhoid and dysentery). In America, 218 million citizens live within 10 miles of a polluted water source, and forty percent of the country's waters are unsafe for fishing, swimming, or supporting aquatic life.
Biodiversity/Habitat Loss: The world's most biodiverse areas compose only 2.3 percent of the Earth's land surface, yet they contain the highest number of endemic species. These "biodiversity hotspots" are also vulnerable to grave human threats including ever-expanding cities, logging, mining and oil exploration. Unchecked human activity has increased the rate of extinction of many species, making the world more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. High levels of biodiversity reveal stories of past, present and future: acting as indictors of current climate variations, and preparing us for an uncertain future through the availability of a variety of resources.
Fossil Fuel Consumption: Fossil fuel consumption is an issue of global concern. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, we release unsustainable levels of CO2 - the primary global warming culprit. Fossil fuels constitute 80 percent of global energy consumption (95 percent of the global transportation fuel marker) - a level that is not sustainable. The U.S. remains the largest consumer, with fossil fuels constituting over 85 percent of all energy consumed, almost two-thirds of electricity, and nearly all of transportation fuels. To make matters worse, "sustainable" energy sources such as solar and wind energy only compose about 6 and 17 percent of the total. The Sierra Club's Energy and Global Warming team is working to promote renewable energy and sustainability within the U.S.