Mankind has already used up the Earth's natural resources for 2019

[Bek]

We have another environmental record in 2019. For the first time, the earth's natural resources for the year were already exhausted in July, the earliest ever.  The earth's biocapacity is just not able to keep up with mankind's voracious appetite for consumption. 

 

For example, the top culprits are the US, China and the EU. If the whole world consumed like the US, then 5 earths would be needed to sustain it. If it was like the EU, then 2.8 earths. 

 

I have looked at my own ecological footprint and it is sustainable. So I am not taking part in the physical ruination of the earth. 

 

Earth Overshoot Day is July 29, the earliest ever

 

https://www.earthday.org/2019/07/26/earth-overshoot-day-is-july-29-the-earliest-ever/

 

EU 'outright dangerous' in its use of natural resources, says WWF

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/09/biocapacity-eu-outright-dangerous-in-its-use-of-natural-resources-says-wwf

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Hun

[Qapla]

27 minutes ago, Hun said:

I have looked at my own ecological footprint and it is sustainable. So I am not taking part in the physical ruination of the earth.

 

So, are we to infer by this comment that, if we live in the US, China or the EU, we ARE guilty of physical ruining the earth?

[Bek]

17 minutes ago, Qapla said:

 

So, are we to infer by this comment that, if we live in the US, China or the EU, we ARE guilty of physical ruining the earth?

Well, that was not my intention, but if you want to understand it that way, I guess you could at least see if your ecological footprint is sustainable. 

 

It is not only the US, the EU and China that are overshooting the mark. There are many other countries around the world, but I mentioned them because they were singled out in the report as the one of the worst abusers. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Hun

[Qapla]

I do not know how to check my footprint except that I wear a size 10 shoe by US measurements

[Bek]

9 minutes ago, Qapla said:

I do not know how to check my footprint except that I wear a size 10 shoe by US measurements

Oh, I wear size 10.5  So your footprint shows that you are not guilty of ruining the earth. 

 

 On a serious note, in the first report in the OP, there is a link to an ecological footprint calculator or you could just google "carbon footprint calculator". There are loads of them online. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Hun

[Qapla]

I tend not to worry about man's efforts to calculate how fast or slow mankind is ruining the earth - their science and mathematics are often flawed ... instead, I try to do as Jehovah asks and am waiting on Him to correct the situation - since there is very little I can do to fix anything.

 

A good example is "recycling". In our area the trash/garbage pickup is "required" - although you have to pay a fee for it. The company that does the pickup, in cooperation with the county gives us two different colored recycling bins. These are open plastic tubs. One is for plastic the other is for paper ... they would prefer we not recycle glass (seems there is no "profit" in glass). They even had a spot on the local news recently about how "good" the community is doing, especially in regards to "separating the plastic from the paper".

 

However, it doesn't matter if you use the very best care in separating your plastic from the paper - when they pick it up, the workers on the truck dump both bins into the same space in the truck ... so, by the time they have finished the street, the paper and plastic are no longer separated ... but, we are doing good!

 

Man just does not have the answer !

[Bek]

Ultimately, you are right - man does not have the answer. Only Jehovah's kingdom will undo all the damage by capitalist societies. However, we can still do our bit to avoid damaging the environment knowingly. 

 

Personally I don't do anything to minimise my carbon footprint. Since I am mostly in bed, I no longer drive cars, eat out or live the life of a consumer. That is what I used to do before I got ill and I think my footprint was huge. I think if I recovered, I would try to be more eco-conscious for spiritual and moral reasons. 

 

The movement to reduce human carbon footprint has become a political and an existential one. More and more people realise that climate change is a serious issue. So they are coming up with all sorts of ways to counter its effects. I believe reducing your meat consumption or going vegetarian is not the best way to approach the problem. If people want to at least slow down climate change, they need to go carbon free completely and ditch the consumption-based economic model of infinite growth in a world of finite resources. Alas, mankind, or rather the global elite, does not want to give up its current ways of life. They would rather enjoy life to the full as if there is no tomorrow. 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Shawnster

[BenJepthah]

On 8/7/2019 at 9:48 AM, Hun said:

We have another environmental record in 2019. For the first time, the earth's natural resources for the year were already exhausted in July, the earliest ever.  The earth's biocapacity is just not able to keep up with mankind's voracious appetite for consumption. 

 

For example, the top culprits are the US, China and the EU. If the whole world consumed like the US, then 5 earths would be needed to sustain it. If it was like the EU, then 2.8 earths. 

 

I have looked at my own ecological footprint and it is sustainable. So I am not taking part in the physical ruination of the earth. 

 

Earth Overshoot Day is July 29, the earliest ever

 

https://www.earthday.org/2019/07/26/earth-overshoot-day-is-july-29-the-earliest-ever/

 

EU 'outright dangerous' in its use of natural resources, says WWF

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/09/biocapacity-eu-outright-dangerous-in-its-use-of-natural-resources-says-wwf

 

 

 

 

 

Just curious, did your sustainability assessment consider the use of streaming services? 

[Bek]

17 hours ago, BenJepthah said:

Just curious, did your sustainability assessment consider the use of streaming services? 

No, it did not. 

 

Do you think streaming services have a huge carbon footprint? 

[BenJepthah]

6 hours ago, Hun said:

No, it did not. 

 

Do you think streaming services have a huge carbon footprint? 

According to at least one story I’ve recently read streaming services match the entire GDP as the country of Chile .  

[Bek]

10 hours ago, BenJepthah said:

According to at least one story I’ve recently read streaming services match the entire GDP as the country of Chile .  

That means that streaming services generate a lot of revenue, but it does not say anything about their carbon footprint.

 

 

[Qapla]

I went to a couple of those footprint calculator and they gave me a "footprint" - buy, no mention of it being "sustainable" ... where do you find that information?

[Bek]

31 minutes ago, Qapla said:

I went to a couple of those footprint calculator and they gave me a "footprint" - buy, no mention of it being "sustainable" ... where do you find that information?

Well, you may not see the word sustainable. According to some footprint calculators, sustainable means 1.7 earths or below. Arguably that level of consumption allows the earth to recover without suffering permanent damage. 

 

Here is some more info: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/08/09/opinion/heres-how-many-earths-we-need-meet-our-populations-demand

 

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by Hun

[Dustparticle]

I hope we don't, I mean I don't use up all the chocolate. On the serious side the Anglo-American power is taking most of the resources.

[Qapla]

4 hours ago, Hun said:

Well, you may not see the word sustainable. According to some footprint calculators, sustainable means 1.7 earths or below. Arguably that level of consumption allows the earth to recover without suffering permanent damage. 

 

So, according to these calculators, if everyone could lower their footprint to "1.7 earths or below" (whatever that means) we would not need Jehovah's Kingdom?

 

 

Somehow, I cannot quite buy into this "footprint cureall reasoning"  

Edited August 10, 2019 by Qapla

[carlos]

38 minutes ago, Qapla said:

So, according to these calculators, if everyone could lower their footprint to "1.7 earths or below" (whatever that means) we would not need Jehovah's Kingdom?

No, nobody is saying that, John. It would only mean that we wouldn't consume more than the earth provides. For most of history humankind has consumed much less than the earth provides, it's just in recent decades that earth population has grown so much, and the society consumes so much, that the planet cannot keep the pace.

 

Even if we lived in a sustainable society we would still face pollution, corrupt government, injustice, sickness, violence, death. It would just be a step in the right direction, but we would still need the kingdom.

[BenJepthah]

So exactly who is living ina 1.7 earth footprint? What would it take?

[BenJepthah]

12 hours ago, Hun said:

That means that streaming services generate a lot of revenue, but it does not say anything about their carbon footprint.

 

 

The story itself directly made the connection. And it is a valid point. Recharging any device has a carbon impact. Streaming services consume a major portion of that energy. 

s Netflix bad for the environment? How streaming video contributes to climate change

Jul 11, 2019 · In 2018, online videotraffic was responsible 300 tons. ..

Edited August 10, 2019 by BenJepthah

[Bek]

19 hours ago, Qapla said:

 

So, according to these calculators, if everyone could lower their footprint to "1.7 earths or below" (whatever that means) we would not need Jehovah's Kingdom?

 

 

Somehow, I cannot quite buy into this "footprint cureall reasoning"  

Of course, we will still need the Kingdom.  It just means that there would be few climate change-related disasters. Mankind had lived sustainably for centuries until the industrialisation began in the 1800s, but there was still spiritual ruination of the earth. 

 

I personally do not believe that mankind can stop climate change. It is too late now. There is not enough time to do anything with the current levels of consumption. 

 

17 hours ago, BenJepthah said:

The story itself directly made the connection. And it is a valid point. Recharging any device has a carbon impact. Streaming services consume a major portion of that energy. 

s Netflix bad for the environment? How streaming video contributes to climate change

Jul 11, 2019 · In 2018, online videotraffic was responsible 300 tons. ..

Thank you, Br. David. That is an interesting article. I guess if streaming services are run on electricity generated from fossil fuels, then the carbon footprint is certainly going to be huge. In the region where I live electricity is generated from water. So it is considered to be clean energy.  

[BenJepthah]

43 minutes ago, Hun said:

Of course, we will still need the Kingdom.  It just means that there would be few climate change-related disasters. Mankind had lived sustainably for centuries until the industrialisation began in the 1800s, but there was still spiritual ruination of the earth. 

 

I personally do not believe that mankind can stop climate change. It is too late now. There is not enough time to do anything with the current levels of consumption. 

 

Thank you, Br. David. That is an interesting article. I guess if streaming services are run on electricity generated from fossil fuels, then the carbon footprint is certainly going to be huge. In the region where I live electricity is generated from water. So it is considered to be clean energy.  

The US once made great efforts at hydroelectric. The Hoover Damn for instance. But in recent years many Hydroelectric projects are being revised or outright reversed due to the impact they have on aquatic species and fisheries.  This is yet another project that SHOULD be a clean solution which is scuttled for other reasons.

[Tortuga]

4 minutes ago, BenJepthah said:

The US once made great efforts at hydroelectric. The Hoover Damn for instance. But in recent years many Hydroelectric projects are being revised or outright reversed due to the impact they have on aquatic species and fisheries.  This is yet another project that SHOULD be a clean solution which is scuttled for other reasons.

That reminded me of the irony of buying solar panels to provide electricity to run an electric clothes dryer. All my mom needed was a rope and two poles...

[BenJepthah]

Modern cave man offers 'Neanderthal' survival courses in Italy.   

So there is this guy in Italy who is willing to teach you how to live sustainably. 

8 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

That reminded me of the irony of buying solar panels to provide electricity to run an electric clothes dryer. All my mom needed was a rope and two poles...

Mine also. 

[ChrisC]

On 8/7/2019 at 3:16 PM, Qapla said:

 

So, are we to infer by this comment that, if we live in the US, China or the EU, we ARE guilty of physical ruining the earth?

I had been thinking about in Re 11:18 recently and who exactly were the one that were to be ‘brought to ruin’ for ruining the Earth. Will we be brought to ruin for not recycling? Are lumberjacks at the rainforests sap-guilty?

 

The September 2014 simply says “God will do away with those responsible for the planetary crisis, “those ruining the earth,” that is, the present-day human system with its governmental structure.“

[blue-jay]

I went on the footprint calculator. My result was:

1 earth. 

Personal Earth Overshoot day is December 15.

 

 

 

http://www.footprintcalculator.org/

 

15 Dec 

Edited August 17, 2019 by blue-jay

[Bek]

5 hours ago, ChrisC said:

I had been thinking about in Re 11:18 recently and who exactly were the one that were to be ‘brought to ruin’ for ruining the Earth. Will we be brought to ruin for not recycling? Are lumberjacks at the rainforests sap-guilty?

 

The September 2014 simply says “God will do away with those responsible for the planetary crisis, “those ruining the earth,” that is, the present-day human system with its governmental structure.“

The ruination of the earth mentioned in the Bible is not only physical, but also spiritual. If you remember, in Noah's time, God also said that the earth was being ruined as shown in these verses. So in my personal opinion, whoever as a group knowingly harms the environment and contributes to the spiritual and moral decay will be punished. 

  

26 minutes ago, blue-jay said:

I went on the footprint calculator. My result was:

1 earth. 

Personal Earth Overshoot day is December 15.

http://www.footprintcalculator.org/

 

Wow, that is amazing, Sister Jay!

 

Do you do it consciously or just happen to have eco-friendly lifestyle? I think trying to be at peace with God, ourselves, people around us and nature is certainly something worthy of praise that we all need to strive for.  

 

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Hun