The planet’s resources available this year will run out this Friday if everyone in the world consumes like the European Union (EU), which environmental groups say is “unsustainable and irresponsible.”
As the EU’s so-called “Environmental Crisis Day” approaches this Friday, more than 300 civil society organizations are calling on European Union leaders to “address the nature, climate and pollution crises after the next European elections.”
The call is contained in an open letter published today and signed by the Portuguese organizations League for the Defense of Nature (LPN), the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), Associação Natureza Portugal/World Wide Fund for Nature (ANP/WWF) and Zero – Association for a Sustainable Earth System.
The signatories call on heads of state and government, presidents of the EU Commission, Council and Parliament, and members of the European Parliament to “make a political commitment to work towards a climate-neutral, zero-pollution and nature-positive economy.”
In the document they highlight that if the world’s population followed EU consumption patterns, humanity would start consuming on credit from today, using resources that should only be used next year.
The open letter, the organizations said, follows “unprecedented and alarming failures in environmental policy in recent months” with “their exploitation for short-term electoral gains.”
According to the signatory organisations, policymakers need to deepen and accelerate the European Green Deal, radically increase public investment in climate, environment and social justice, and “strengthen EU governance, democracy and the effective participation of civil society”.
Recalling that societies and economies depend on what nature provides, from food and water to wood and other materials beyond carbon sequestration, the organizations stress that while the EU is home to only 7% of the world’s population, it will require three planets to meet its needs. What if everyone on Earth lived like Europeans?
The consequences of such unsustainable consumption include global deforestation, loss of biodiversity, depleted fish stocks, water scarcity and pollution, soil erosion, air pollution and climate change.
Climate change is causing more frequent extreme weather events, with Europe expected to see temperatures rise twice as high as other continents, they warn.
Mindful that European elections will take place next month, the letter’s signatories say the electoral law represents a golden opportunity to turn the tide by making the planet’s triple crisis a political priority: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Calculations to determine the day of planet overload are made by the international organization “Global Footprint Network”.
On the 28th, Portugal reaches the end of its resources for the year, meaning that if everyone on the planet lived like the Portuguese, the resources for that year would be exhausted on this day.
Last year, Portugal exhausted its resources for the previous year on May 7th.
According to the Global Footprint Network, the first country to run out of resources this year was Qatar (February 11), followed by Luxembourg (February 20), the United Arab Emirates (March 4) and the United States (March 3). 14th.
The last countries to exhaust their resources will be Ecuador and Indonesia (November 24), Iraq (November 15) and Jamaica (November 12).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.