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We Will Soon Be Using More Than The Earth Can Provide
Forget the GDP, it’s time for our leaders to pay attention to metrics that matter.
Jun 18, 2017
Four days after President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, the Global Footprint Network (GFN) reported that Earth Overshoot Day 2017 will fall on August 2. Most Americans likely have no idea what that means.
The basic point is quite simple: From January 1 to August 2, the world's 7.5 billion people will have used as much of Earth's biological resources--or biocapacity--as the planet can regenerate in a year. During the remaining five months of 2017, our human consumption will be drawing down Earth's reserves of fresh water, fertile soils, forests, and fisheries, and depleting its ability to regenerate these resources as well as sequester excess carbon released into the atmosphere.
Stated slightly differently, humans are depleting living Earth's capacity to support life.
The GFN methodology can also generate an ecological footprint for individual cities, states, and nations, based on the burden each generates relative to its local biocapacity. It can also compare a personal footprint generated by a distinctive lifestyle to both national and global averages.
The U.S. has a relatively abundant per capita biocapacity compared to most other nations. We are also one of the world's highest per capita consumers. Consequently, the net outcome is a total national biocapacity deficit second only to that of China--a country with a population roughly four times ours.
Knowing that, collectively, the world is consuming far more than the planet can sustain, how do we bring ourselves into balance with Earth's capacities? GFN outlines four critical global priorities:
1. Decarbonization
Humanity's carbon energy use accounts for 60 percent of the global ecological footprint. By GFN's estimate, "Reducing the carbon component of the global Ecological Footprint by 50 percent would get us from consuming the resources of 1.7 Earths down to 1.2 Earths, or move the date of Overshoot Day forward by 89 days, or about three months." That would place Overshoot Day on October 30.
2. Population
"We cannot ignore population growth if we are truly committed to people having secure lives in a world of finite resources," noted Susan Burns, GFN co-founder. She urges empowering women and assuring that every child is wanted. By GFN's analysis, reducing the current global average family size by half a child would push back Overshoot Day by 31 days.
3. Food production and consumption
By GFN's calculation, sourcing food locally, avoiding highly processed foods, reducing meat consumption, and cutting food waste by half could move Overshoot Day forward by 11 days.
4. Urban built environment
GFN estimates that increasing the energy efficiency of the urban built environment through measures such as efficient mass transit could advance Overshoot Day by 2 days.
If we achieved all four of these priorities, we would bring Overshoot Day to December 13 and almost be in balance with Earth's capacity to sustain us.
There is considerable truth to the adage that we can manage only what we measure. Measure the wrong thing, and the consequences can be catastrophic.
Unfortunately, our governments currently invest heavily in reporting financial indicators, such as gross domestic product, that tell us little either about actual human well-being or our long-term viability on Earth. In measuring the right things, GFN shatters the illusions of such measures and analyses. Still, we need a clearer and more complete, and coherent reporting and analysis of the global footprint measurements than the GFN offers.
The responsibility for such statistical gathering and reporting should fall, not to a small non-profit, but rather to the United Nations and the statistical services of the world's national governments. Producing detailed global footprint measurements, reporting, and analysis should be among the top priorities of such official agencies. That will be a far greater contribution to national and global well-being than the grossly misleading economic indicators to which they now devote the bulk of their resources.
David Korten wrote this article for YES! Magazine as part of his series of biweekly columns on "A Living Earth Economy."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This article was written for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas and practical actions. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
David Korten
Dr. David C. Korten is an American author, lecturer, engaged citizen, student of psychology and behavioral systems, former Harvard Business School professor, prominent critic of corporate globalization, and advocate of the human transition to an Ecological Civilization. He is founder and president of the Living Economies Forum, co-founder and former board chair of YES! Magazine (now YES! Media), and the author of influential books, including the international bestselling When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. He earned MBA and PhD degrees from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and worked for thirty years in international development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Four days after President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, the Global Footprint Network (GFN) reported that Earth Overshoot Day 2017 will fall on August 2. Most Americans likely have no idea what that means.
The basic point is quite simple: From January 1 to August 2, the world's 7.5 billion people will have used as much of Earth's biological resources--or biocapacity--as the planet can regenerate in a year. During the remaining five months of 2017, our human consumption will be drawing down Earth's reserves of fresh water, fertile soils, forests, and fisheries, and depleting its ability to regenerate these resources as well as sequester excess carbon released into the atmosphere.
Stated slightly differently, humans are depleting living Earth's capacity to support life.
The GFN methodology can also generate an ecological footprint for individual cities, states, and nations, based on the burden each generates relative to its local biocapacity. It can also compare a personal footprint generated by a distinctive lifestyle to both national and global averages.
The U.S. has a relatively abundant per capita biocapacity compared to most other nations. We are also one of the world's highest per capita consumers. Consequently, the net outcome is a total national biocapacity deficit second only to that of China--a country with a population roughly four times ours.
Knowing that, collectively, the world is consuming far more than the planet can sustain, how do we bring ourselves into balance with Earth's capacities? GFN outlines four critical global priorities:
1. Decarbonization
Humanity's carbon energy use accounts for 60 percent of the global ecological footprint. By GFN's estimate, "Reducing the carbon component of the global Ecological Footprint by 50 percent would get us from consuming the resources of 1.7 Earths down to 1.2 Earths, or move the date of Overshoot Day forward by 89 days, or about three months." That would place Overshoot Day on October 30.
2. Population
"We cannot ignore population growth if we are truly committed to people having secure lives in a world of finite resources," noted Susan Burns, GFN co-founder. She urges empowering women and assuring that every child is wanted. By GFN's analysis, reducing the current global average family size by half a child would push back Overshoot Day by 31 days.
3. Food production and consumption
By GFN's calculation, sourcing food locally, avoiding highly processed foods, reducing meat consumption, and cutting food waste by half could move Overshoot Day forward by 11 days.
4. Urban built environment
GFN estimates that increasing the energy efficiency of the urban built environment through measures such as efficient mass transit could advance Overshoot Day by 2 days.
If we achieved all four of these priorities, we would bring Overshoot Day to December 13 and almost be in balance with Earth's capacity to sustain us.
There is considerable truth to the adage that we can manage only what we measure. Measure the wrong thing, and the consequences can be catastrophic.
Unfortunately, our governments currently invest heavily in reporting financial indicators, such as gross domestic product, that tell us little either about actual human well-being or our long-term viability on Earth. In measuring the right things, GFN shatters the illusions of such measures and analyses. Still, we need a clearer and more complete, and coherent reporting and analysis of the global footprint measurements than the GFN offers.
The responsibility for such statistical gathering and reporting should fall, not to a small non-profit, but rather to the United Nations and the statistical services of the world's national governments. Producing detailed global footprint measurements, reporting, and analysis should be among the top priorities of such official agencies. That will be a far greater contribution to national and global well-being than the grossly misleading economic indicators to which they now devote the bulk of their resources.
David Korten wrote this article for YES! Magazine as part of his series of biweekly columns on "A Living Earth Economy."
David Korten
Dr. David C. Korten is an American author, lecturer, engaged citizen, student of psychology and behavioral systems, former Harvard Business School professor, prominent critic of corporate globalization, and advocate of the human transition to an Ecological Civilization. He is founder and president of the Living Economies Forum, co-founder and former board chair of YES! Magazine (now YES! Media), and the author of influential books, including the international bestselling When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. He earned MBA and PhD degrees from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and worked for thirty years in international development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Four days after President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, the Global Footprint Network (GFN) reported that Earth Overshoot Day 2017 will fall on August 2. Most Americans likely have no idea what that means.
The basic point is quite simple: From January 1 to August 2, the world's 7.5 billion people will have used as much of Earth's biological resources--or biocapacity--as the planet can regenerate in a year. During the remaining five months of 2017, our human consumption will be drawing down Earth's reserves of fresh water, fertile soils, forests, and fisheries, and depleting its ability to regenerate these resources as well as sequester excess carbon released into the atmosphere.
Stated slightly differently, humans are depleting living Earth's capacity to support life.
The GFN methodology can also generate an ecological footprint for individual cities, states, and nations, based on the burden each generates relative to its local biocapacity. It can also compare a personal footprint generated by a distinctive lifestyle to both national and global averages.
The U.S. has a relatively abundant per capita biocapacity compared to most other nations. We are also one of the world's highest per capita consumers. Consequently, the net outcome is a total national biocapacity deficit second only to that of China--a country with a population roughly four times ours.
Knowing that, collectively, the world is consuming far more than the planet can sustain, how do we bring ourselves into balance with Earth's capacities? GFN outlines four critical global priorities:
1. Decarbonization
Humanity's carbon energy use accounts for 60 percent of the global ecological footprint. By GFN's estimate, "Reducing the carbon component of the global Ecological Footprint by 50 percent would get us from consuming the resources of 1.7 Earths down to 1.2 Earths, or move the date of Overshoot Day forward by 89 days, or about three months." That would place Overshoot Day on October 30.
2. Population
"We cannot ignore population growth if we are truly committed to people having secure lives in a world of finite resources," noted Susan Burns, GFN co-founder. She urges empowering women and assuring that every child is wanted. By GFN's analysis, reducing the current global average family size by half a child would push back Overshoot Day by 31 days.
3. Food production and consumption
By GFN's calculation, sourcing food locally, avoiding highly processed foods, reducing meat consumption, and cutting food waste by half could move Overshoot Day forward by 11 days.
4. Urban built environment
GFN estimates that increasing the energy efficiency of the urban built environment through measures such as efficient mass transit could advance Overshoot Day by 2 days.
If we achieved all four of these priorities, we would bring Overshoot Day to December 13 and almost be in balance with Earth's capacity to sustain us.
There is considerable truth to the adage that we can manage only what we measure. Measure the wrong thing, and the consequences can be catastrophic.
Unfortunately, our governments currently invest heavily in reporting financial indicators, such as gross domestic product, that tell us little either about actual human well-being or our long-term viability on Earth. In measuring the right things, GFN shatters the illusions of such measures and analyses. Still, we need a clearer and more complete, and coherent reporting and analysis of the global footprint measurements than the GFN offers.
The responsibility for such statistical gathering and reporting should fall, not to a small non-profit, but rather to the United Nations and the statistical services of the world's national governments. Producing detailed global footprint measurements, reporting, and analysis should be among the top priorities of such official agencies. That will be a far greater contribution to national and global well-being than the grossly misleading economic indicators to which they now devote the bulk of their resources.
David Korten wrote this article for YES! Magazine as part of his series of biweekly columns on "A Living Earth Economy."
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