CGF ARTICLES, OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
One planet, one chance… (2011-08-02)
February 19,
2015 3597 3597 
Waste not, want not” or so the adage goes. Yet, year after year people carry on regardless of the negative consequences their careless and wasteful behaviour has on natural resources.
The persistent abuse, pollution, and over-exploitation of natural resources is pushing humankind closer and closer to the brink of extinction. The predictions made in the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2010 are unsettling - at the current rate of consumption of natural resources, humans will need two planets by 2030 in order to sustain themselves. According to the Report, humans are using thirty percent more resources than is sustainable.
Half a century ago, most countries lived and consumed within the limits of their ecological resources. Figures show that today, three-quarters of the world's population live in countries where the inhabitants consume resources at a rate faster than they can be replenished. Moreover, there is ongoing pollution of air and water, deforestation, degradation of arable soils, and worrying declines in the numbers of various species of flora and fauna.
Humanity finds itself very much wanting, as increasing modernisation sees more and more countries adopting wasteful, consumptive habits. The question is: what happens to all the resources after consumption?
All activities that cater to human needs – which range from those in the home to the large-scale production within industries – generate waste. There is an ever-growing demand for a variety of resources, including space to dispose of these wastes. This is particularly true for the carbon dioxide that results from burning fossil fuels, and the dumpsites that are increasingly being filled with discarded materials.
Due to the fact that humans have shown scant regard for the manner in which they use natural resources, there is an inevitable security threat as our supply of these materials shows signs of failing to keep up with growing demand. The link between environmental policy and security is undeniable. A lack of resources -- be it as a result of overuse, pollution or wastefulness -- will destablise populations as people grow desperate to fulfill their basic need to survive
