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Contents
The United Kingdom Moves Toward a One Planet Economy
WorldWatch Releases 2006 State of the Environment Report
Does Globalization Benefit the Poor?
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Global Footprint Network
Our mission is to promote a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological
Footprint, a measurement tool that makes the reality of planetary limits
relevant to decision-makers.
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The United Kingdom Moves Toward a One Planet Economy
Prime Minister Tony Blair, with the launch of the government's Sustainable Development Framework,
has endorsed a radical new plan
to shift the UK economy towards a 'One Planet Economy.'
To support this plan, WWF has produced a new report,
Ecological Budget UK - Counting Consumption,
which estimates that meeting this goal will require a 75 percent reduction in the
UK's Ecological Footprint.
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WWF acknowledges that while this is an incredibly challenging target,
it is essential for long-term sustainability. This means a 3 per cent annual
reduction in the UK's Ecological Footprint, set against a projected economic
growth rate averaging 2.25 per cent per year. This implies a major 'decoupling'
of economic and material growth, which has occurred in the UK to
some extent, but would need to be accelerated.
The report, launched on the 7th of March, was written
in collaboration with Global Footprint Network partner
Stockholm
Environment Institute and with the Centre for Urban
& Regional Ecology (CURE). It provides a vital evidence
base to help policy makers better understand the issues
of sustainable consumption and production in the UK.
Using comprehensive physical resource flow accounts,
the report divides production and consumption in the
UK into 123 economic sectors and 54 socio-economic groups,
sorted by every English region. The report concludes
that if everyone used as much of the earth's natural
resources as the average UK resident, we would need
three planets to support us.
"The UK Government must now make the idea of a 'One Planet Economy' a reality,"
said Stuart Bond, WWF Footprint Coordinator and co-author of the report.
"It must address a much bigger global impact created from imported products and
materials that are currently not yet even accounted for."
Learn More:
Download the Report
Read more about the Ecological Budget UK Initiative
Read about Tony Blair's Endorsement
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