Climate Change Concerns: Londoners are now ‘six-planet’ consumers

[“Success in 2100 would be a world in which a recognizable descendant of our current civilization is still thriving.” Gwynne Dyer, Mar. 22, London Free Press]

We have been taught to live for today by many avid instructors: Government and business leaders, media and economists, parents, family members and friends, and even by our own thirsts. Conservation (or a philosophy to ‘live small’) is not our cup of tea, or at least not for the majority. To most, it might even be for babies.


["Are we riding too fast?": photo by GH]

However, a recent newspaper article by Gwynne Dyer suggests we are on the wrong path, even here in the very heart of south western Ontario, i.e., London.

“Unfortunately, the way we are living is not sustainable. We have taken too much land out of the natural cycles in order to grow our own food on it. We are destroying the world's major fish populations through overfishing and pollution. We also are driving most of the larger land animals to extinction.” (March 22, The London Free Press)

Dyer says nothing about our extravagant use of water but he easily could have, simply by sharing a few details from a recent United Nations study that calls for a very close look at global water management policies, and says that the demand from agriculture, an industry that currently uses around 70% of the world’s freshwater, is likely to increase by about 20% by 2050, due to population growth on planet earth, i.e., from seven billion (the present level) to nine billion.

Dyer describes our current situation as “a six-planet civilization.” By that he means we require six Earths “to sustain the present human population in the high-energy, high-consumption style that is the hallmark of the current global civilization.” And for no other reason, in my opinion, than to provide a bit of comic relief, he goes on to say, “And for the foreseeable future we will have only one planet, not six.”

Six planets. Here we are in 2012 living as if we have six Earths from which to draw resources. And for those who haven’t been paying much attention, it was only about 15 years ago that the phrase “five-planet consumption” was first bandied about in the news. Really, in only 15 years our population and overall consumption has grown to such a degree that another Earth is needed to sustain us in the lifestyle we so richly deserve.

However, I think it goes without saying, “for the foreseeable future we will have only one planet.”

These few details make me wonder if we should take a closer look at our ‘live for today’ philosophy.

Please click here to read Gwynne Dyer’s full article.

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