2012 World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Report

The World Wildlife Fund's 2012 Living Planet report notes that "we are using 50 per cent more resources than the Earth can provide. By 2030, even two planets will not be enough."

Rising populations and rising incomes have and will lead to a larger human footprint on the planet.

Are we a plague? Ask Agent Smith who tells the captive Morpheus in The Matrix? "Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." Yikes!

I don't think we need to get that extreme, but how do we balance population while protecting nature? How do we balance grazing, farming, and fishing with a growing population and decreasing resources? Can we blend the wild with the urban? What kind of sustainable ideas do you have? Can you work those ideas into your academic and career goals?

Comments

  1. YES WE ARE PLAGUE!! I think we are more parasitic than anything though. We are literally sucking the life from this planet!!!! We tear down trees, kill and mass produce animals, pollute our ocean and earth. We take but do not give, we kill and reproduce our toxic breed. Why dont we use natural resources to build houses into the earth, natural resources that wont drain the supply, maybe people who have 3 people in their family stop living in a 10 bedroom house, walk to the store instead of drive. Start driving hybrid cars, build more solar and wind mills to gain energy. Turn of lights, stop being so fat and eat to survive instead of eating for pleasure. Make people start living of their own resources, I guarentee if you had to go slaughter your own cow to eat a hamburger not so many people would be eating up tp 200 pounds of meat a year. Most people think of hemp as a terible drug and everyone is entitled to their own opinion but despite the mind altering state of hemp, the actual hemp plant can be used for paper, clothes, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc. I believe if hemp was used instead of trees to make paper that would be a huge solution to one of our problems. I can go on forever about the things that can be done so our human race is not so parasitic. I know if i have came up with these solutions off the top of my head then others have thought about them too along with many more solutions. The problem is saying but not doing, thinking but not acting. There are billions of people on this earth, no one will ever be on the same page. I also think that it is very interesting that this post has not yet been commented on for 5 months since it has been posted, do people really not care??

    ReplyDelete
  2. We can live within nature. We don't need to go around the world tearing down tress and destroying nature. Instead we could find ways where we can build houses within nature. For example, we can build hoses in an area where there isn't that many trees and that way we can live there and at the same time enjoy the beauty of nature.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This article is a very big issue going on in our society today. Conservation and turning "green" should be a must. I believe it is true that we are consuming more and more of the earth to the point where none will be left. We, as people who reside on this earth, need to know how to conserve our supplies. We must learn to recycle more and learn how to make more eco-friendly supplies instead of having to waste many natural resources. It is unbelievable that we are using more than half of the earth's natural resources. If we were more persistent about going "green", slowly but surely we could learn to live on a "natural equilibrium".

    ReplyDelete
  4. The fact that us humans are contently tearing Nature beauty just for the benefit of humans.I think that we can decrease the amount of trees we are tearing down or the amount of pollution that we are making. For example people can turn into eco friendly things. This article points out a huge issue that we have today in our society and the importance of trying to better it if not for us but for our future generation to come. People do not take this as a serious matter which it is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice! Before reading this report, I never know about any information about wildlife fund living planet. Now, I think we should protect our nature better. It is good for human future. We should think about this problem how to do better for our own nature seriously. It is our same duty. Let us take an action!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So far, we are the plauge. Agent Smith was not extreme. What he said is exactly true. We do plunder everywhere. We cut down the tree, pollute river and occean, kill rare animal and make nuclear weapon. Humanity is greed. Most of people just take from earth but not give anything back. Oh! Sorry, they do give trush back.
    If human do not realize and stop what they are doing to our motherland, human will be killed by themselves (Nuclear radiation, ozone hole, global warming) When human consume the last source from the earth which just like virus take the last nutrient from human, it is our time to die.

    ReplyDelete
  7. "We are using 50 per cent more resources than the Earth can provide. By 2030, even two planets will not be enough." This opening statement made me realize just how poorly we are treating our planet. If we don't realize what we are doing and don't take action soon, then our planet will soon be depleted of all resources we need to survive. We need to practice the act of conservation, recycling, decreasing pollution. People need to take steps towards creating a greener planet. Instead of saying without doing, and thinking but not acting, we as the people should come together to help our generation and the next to come live happy and healthy. Every day should be Earth Day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Reports and statics show proof that us as human beings are neglecting; our "Mother Earth". We need to educate others in our society better, so they'll realize it’s our responsibility for us to take care of our planet. At this rate we're right now by 2030, two planets wouldn't be enough to continue to help sustain life for us to. This is really scary to take into consideration. This article was indeed an eye-opener for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  9. To begin with, it would be critical that humans slow down on their reproduction. Second, we could find balance with nature by using more eco-friendly materials for everything we use. Planting more trees instead of cutting them down would also be important. We would also need to start developing more eco-friendly resources that wont take any tolls on the planet. But lets face it, this wouldn't be easy to make happen at all and soon enough it will be too late.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don’t think Agent Smith was being extreme, he was just telling the harsh truth. In a way, humans are like a plague because we use up all of Earth’s resources, but what do we really give back? Not many people think about sustainability or “going green”. It’s important to care about the environment because in a couple of generations the world we live in won’t be the same. If we use up things quickly without conserving resources or reducing pollution in any way, the environment will be extremely polluted and resources will be scarce. Fresh water, oil, and other necessary items will not be readily available. It’s easy to help the environment, and the smallest things can have the biggest impact if many people are doing it. For example, using reusable water bottles, recycling, picking up trash, or walking/biking or carpooling/using public transportation can all help the environment if more people did it. I’m in an Environmental Problems of CA class, and we discuss the problems that California faces today and in the future. I used to just purchase things or use resources without giving it a second thought, but now I’m more aware of the impact humans have on the Earth. We can all help out by making different purchases from companies who care about the environment or even just picking up that piece of trash someone left behind.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Agent Smith seems to be just telling the honest truth. Think about it we do populate a lot every day more and more females seem to be pregnant and the worst part is it is starting sooner and sooner. I can see how he relates us to a plague because where he said that we will have to move after we use up all the resources there will not be any, and this is sad but true we are killing our planet and the more and more we grow and the more and more that technology grows we are killing resources and when there is too many of us how will we keep everything up and smooth and running. Also, keep into consideration will this planet just become a crap hole because it will look all messed up and ruined. There is not another planet we can go to and have the resources we need as earth provides us. The littlest things matter the most WATER we are in a drout people, but do these people keep it into consideration that they leave the water running and take long showers. NO! they do not and this is what is going to happen it will kill earth because nobody thinks it will ever get that extreme , but think again anything is possible.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The idea that I have that has already been done before is to increase the cost of living, increase gas prices, food, beverages, everything. This really is shocking coming from myself but it's true, you have to increase the price of everything so then more people will think before they have a child or family because the cost will be very expensive. And we might even have to resort to what China has done, make a law where we Americans can only have two children, that will definitely make a drastic change in the population and the environment as well because it will lead to more nature and agricultural life which will help ozone layers clear up, decrease the extinction of wild life, and maintain an equal level of welfare for all.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Surprisingly after a moment of thought, I have to agree with Agent Smith. We see everything as resources or enemies. Human have consume and damages to this Earth more than any species have ever done to this planet. Human is a species striving for survival no matter the causes or effects, what can you do? It’s our nature. I think we must accept our mistake and changes. As the movie from When The Earth Stood Still, when the alien meet the professor, they were talking about how the alien races have to change at the breaking point of their planet and species destruction. I think the same way about our planet, we still haven’t accept our mistakes and the damages we are making, that the reason we are continuing destroying this planet without concerning we are destroying our only homes in this galaxy. Changing the economy is just another short term answer we like to tell ourselves someone will fix it. In order to bring back the balance population, we must learn to accept our need. We must create a population out of loves and not through uncontrollable urges of intimate of non-lover. As far as food resources goes, we have create a new generation of unlimited genetic modify food supply. The sustainable ideas I have is quite brutal as some might have said. I think we should start to accept not everyone can change, we must stop trying to save those who harm our planet. We must do whatever to save this planet and not ourselves for the Earth as our mother.

    ReplyDelete
  14. To be completely honest, we are a plague to this planet, we are the disease, and we are the cure to saving this planet. Most of us are so blind, we are they don't seem to understand that everything we do effects another person, area, surrounding somehow. Just like the saying " its the little things that add up," every little thing that we do adds up to a larger picture. For example, littering. Everyday we come across a piece of trash somewhere we either leave it or we can help solve the issue by simply picking it up. It is up to us if we would like to be the cure to help save this planet. It is up to us if we want to be the cure. We are to devoted to our personal lives, to devoted to achieving our goals, to devoted to making our own lives better, but we do not realize that we need to be devoted to our planet so that we can help repair it and save it so we can have the resources we need. To conserve our resources we should really look into what we believe is the most important and find a way to create more of the resource or save it by creating an alternative, something that does not effect our planet more than we have already done.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This article expresses the fact that humans are constantly tearing down natures beauty just for the benefit of humans. We should instead decrease the amount of trees being cut down and it will then decrease the amount of pollution being produced. It is very important that we try to better it if not for us but for our future generation to come. This is a very serious matter.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I believe that human beings is virus. We don't know how to conserve or bring equilibrium to nature.I know some areas in the world are trying to lower their population rate, but as of now there are too many humans than there are resources. And that is just humans, what about the wild life?
    My senior research paper was about factory farming. Most factory farms are not looking to find balance in grazing or fishing. They are trying to mass produce to keep up with demand.
    I thought that our resource would be out long after I died. But in this article it said predict by 2030 two planets wouldn't even provide for us.
    These are the type of things students should be learning about. We need people to be more aware of the things that will affect us in the near future. The thing is I know most people will not be open to adjusting our lives to helping the environment or preserving wildlife.
    There is already many little ways to help like switching to solar energy, conserving water, don't litter, or recycle. This is our home and we need to keep it green as long as we can But humans aren't acting upon it because we don't see the threat or harm yet.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Maybe the reason as to why earths natural resources are decreasing is because throughout the years there are people converting to the Vegan lifestyle? Of course this isn't the only reason though. But somethings that we could start doing that can be a law is to reduce, reuse and recycle. I'm sure theres so many things in the landfills that could be easily separated and the landfills wouldn't be as big as they are now. Of course one of the biggest things would be to protect the wildlife and natural resources we have left until enough is produced. Although this would cause a drastic change to our world because things that we are not used to will have to get put into place. For example gas, if we were to just stop using it in order for it to increase in its supply, gas prices would be insane and people would have to walk or take a bike, etc. The majority of people would not be okay with this, but they don't realize that eventually it will truly be like that if we keep using earths resources at the current rate.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Superpower Would You Choose?

The 12 Types of Procrastinators and Kittens

Ancient Rome: When Being a Teen was Tough