Here we go again. Not a surprise this report. There are simply to many of us, but there is hope. Japan's population has started to decline as of this year. They don't think it's a good thing but it really is. If we can decrease our world population we stand a chance of controling our own destiny. However we will probably not beable to do it fast enough and nature will interevene. They way she does that is by flipping us out- for example like in Iraq. Have you noticed that there are more and more countries getting nuclear weapons? Natures way of getting us smart guys and gals. The pressure is on! We fix it or we really fix it "boom". It is kind of like a "roundup" spray that get's a lot of us large mammals. You have always heard that a large nuclear war will destroy the earth. Give me a break - it will destroy us and like I say some of the rest of the large mammals but the planet will survive just fine and the biosphere will prosper, without us!
Overconsumption threatens ecological balance, WWF warns
Last Updated Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:08:20 EDT

GENEVA - People are consuming the planet's resources at a rate that outstrips its capacity to support life, a global conservation group said Thursday.

The World Wildlife Fund report, called The Living Planet 2004, shows humans use 20 per cent more natural resources than Earth can produce.


Report's authors recommend switching away from fossil fuels.

Between 1970 and 2000, populations of land, freshwater and marine species fell about 40 per cent, according to the report.

The destruction of habitat is the greatest threat to wild species.

"Forests are being cleared to plant crops or to graze animals," said Jonathan Loh, one of the report's authors.

Other threats include:
• River dams.
• Pollution.
• Climate change.
• Overexploitation of species like fish.

Invasive species such as cats, birds and rats that are not native to a particular country can also threaten indigenous species, the report said.

Earth's ecological footprint – the amount of productive land needed on average worldwide to sustain one person – is now 2.2 hectares.

Based on the amount of productive land and sea on Earth and the total population of 6.1 billion people, the planet has only 1.8 hectares available.

People in the developed world consume resources at an unsustainable level, the report concluded.

An average North American consumes twice as much as a European and seven times more than the average Asian or African, according to the report.

To stem the tide, Loh suggested governments, businesses and consumers switch to energy-efficient technology, such as solar power.