Apparently it was a couple of days later this year due to the "recession," but we've still got one quarter of the year to go where we'll be living beyond our ecological means. From now until the end of the year, our ecological needs will be met by going into "debt" — depleting resources.
NATURE’S GIFTS
"Ecological overshoot is a weighty topic. Confronting such a difficult problem is daunting, but confront it we must! Dealing with overshoot should be the #1 issue for society. We could stop climate change, halt the ongoing loss of habitat and biodiversity, and reverse the trend of deteriorating ecosystems." — CASSE
Most of us don't realize how vital ecosystem services are. Without them, we couldn't survive or thrive. Ecosystem services (or Nature's gifts, as I call them, especially when talking about them with children) are the benefits we get from ecosystems. These include:
- provisioning services
- regulating services
- cultural services
- supporting services
NATURE’S GIFTS
- land protection (storm protection, flood control, drought recovery)
- biodiversity (genetic resources)
- nutrient cycling
- air production
- stratospheric ozone production
- climate control
- freshwater supply and purification
- making soil
- erosion control
- habitat
- pollination
- population regulation (think mosquitoes)
- waste cleansing and recycling
- food production
- raw materials
- culture (aesthetic, artistic, educational, spiritual, and/or scientific values of ecosystems)
- recreation
Try to picture living on this planet with just one of those services compromised. Going into overshoot means we just don't understand the interconnectedness of all life, and the risks we take by not allowing ecosystem services to replenish and regenerate.
Absolutely bang on Julie. Thanks for this info. Our account is overdue.
ReplyDeleteRick