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Man scratching his head while staring at a blackboard


Living Planet Report

The Living Planet Report is the world's leading, science-based analysis on the health of our only planet.

It's key finding?

Humanity's demands exceed our planet's capacity to sustain us (we ask for more than what we have).
On October the 13th the 2010 Living Planet Report on the state of our natural world, and our impacts on it, will be released.

In the run up to that date, we will be releasing a series of videos highlighting some of the issues that will be anlaysed in this latest edition.

News

Living Planet analysis shows looming ecological credit crunch

What is in the Report?

The Report describes the changing state of global biodiversity and the pressure on the biosphere arising from human consumption of natural resources.

It is built around two indicators:

These measures are tracked over several decades to reveal past trends, then three scenarios explore what might lie ahead.

The scenarios show how the choices we make might lead to a sustainable society living in harmony with robust ecosystems, or to the collapse of these same ecosystems, resulting in a permanent loss of biodiversity and erosion of the planet’s ability to support people.

LPR 2008 Language Versions

Partner

Global Footprint Network
promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable.

Together with its partners, the Network coordinates research, develops methodological standards, and provides decision makers with robust resource accounts to help the human economy operate within the Earth’s ecological limits.

Partner

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) logo
Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation, and educational organization. Its mission is to achieve and promote the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

ZSL runs London Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology, and is actively involved in field conservation worldwide.

Original Partner

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services including ecosystem assessments, support for implementation of environmental agreements, regional and global biodiversity information, research on environmental threats and impacts, and development of future scenarios.

What's going on?

 A man walks down the street.

He comes across a chicken that lays 2 eggs each week.

The 1st week, he picks up 1 egg, leave 1 for next week, and moves on.

The 2nd week, he comes with his friend. They take 2 eggs and leave 1.

The 3rd week, 3 of them come and take all 3 eggs.

The 4th week, 4 of them arrive, take the 2 eggs laid that week, and the chicken gives them an IOU for the following week.

In the 5th week, 5 of them arrive, they take the 2 eggs and the chicken that can't be trusted to fulfill its IOUs.

This is the point of the Living Planet Report: that we are using up more resources (eggs) than our planet (the chicken) can provide. 

We may not really know whether the egg or the chicken came first. But we do know that the chicken will be our final meal.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence. RSS/Web Feeds Bookmark and Share