The urgency of reducing our environmental footprint

Nowadays, it is undeniable that human activities, based on the continuous extraction of resources, are pushing the planet to its ultimate limits. After a century of abuse and millennial balances now flouted, the Earth appears to be exiting the Holocene, the interglacial epoch that lasted the past 12,000 years. Some geologists now use the controversial term "Anthropocene", a new geological epoch characterized by the rise of humanity as the main force of planetary change.

To try to reduce our pressure on the environment and bring our impact on the planet back to sustainable levels, a study published in the journal "Nature" estimates that it is essential to understand the distribution of environmental footprints and responsibilities across different income groups. In other words, the aim of their study is to determine the significant disparities in resource exploitation and consumption according to wealth levels.

Using an expenditure database covering up to 201 consumption groups in 168 countries, they examined our environmental footprint and assessed the impact of this consumption on the planet. "We show that 31 to 67% and 51 to 91% of the responsibility for transgressing planetary boundaries can be attributed to the richest 10% and 20% of consumers, respectively, in developed and developing countries," it states.

Here is the essence of the study, titled "Keeping the global consumption within the planetary boundaries", in a few key points:

The authors of this research also note that a reduction, or at least a new way of consuming to mitigate human pressures on the environment, is not without risks. "The practical implementation of these strategies requires careful consideration of their broader economic and social impacts, as it could lead to a drop in market demand, which could temporarily affect investment and employment."

However, in the long term, it is clear that we would have much to gain by transitioning to a more sustainable economy.

Information about the authors

1. These authors contributed equally: Peipei Tian, ​​Honglin Zhong

Authors and affiliations

1. Blue and Green Development Institute, Shandong University, Weihai, China — Peipei Tian, ​​Honglin Zhong, Ning Zhang and Xuan Shao
2. Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States — Xiangjie Chen, Kuishuang Feng and Laixiang Sun
3. School of Finance and Management, SOAS University of London, London, United Kingdom — Soleil de Laixiang
4. Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom — Ning Zhang
5. Faculty of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China — Yu Liu
6. Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University, Beijing, China — Yu Liu

This article has been automatically translated using AI. If you notice any errors, please don't hesitate to contact us.