Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.

Our growing population puts so much pressure on the

environment that nowadays the natural resources are no longer
as abundant as they used to be. How we use and dispose of nonrenewable resources is radically altering our ecosystems and even
the planets renewable resources (such as water, timber or fish)
are rapidly being exhausted. We have now reached a tipping point
where the quality of air and water needs to be improved, the level
of production needs to be balanced and the amount of waste
generated needs to be reduced.
Sustainable consumption is all about doing more and better with
less, through reducing resource use, degradation and pollution
while increasing the quality of life for all.
The massive consumption of both renewable and nonrenewable
resources contributes to a massive loss of biodiversity with
current extinction rates of birds, mammals and amphibians
estimated to be at least 100 times, but possibly over 1,000 times,
higher than pre-industrial rates. The poorest population is most
affected by such changes giving that they rely directly on natural
resources such as fishing, small-scale agriculture or forestry
for their livelihoods.
Many of the Earths ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points
of depletion or irreversible change, pushed by high population
growth and economic development. By 2050, if current
consumption and production patterns remain the same and with a
rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three
planets to sustain our ways of living and consumption.
People can reduce their carbon footprints, water use, support
enhanced biodiversity and minimise the amount of waste they are
responsible for. A great example is cutting down on the amount of
food waste we each create. It is estimated that about one third of
global food production is lost or wasted each year (averaging 1.3
billion tonnes) and that consumers in industrialised countries

waste as much food as sub-Saharan African countries produce

each year.

Food Wastage
The impact of food waste is not just financial. Environmentally,
food waste leads to wasteful use of chemicals such as fertilizers
and pesticides; more fuel used for transportation; and more
rotting food, creating more methane one of the most harmful
greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. Methane is
23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The vast
amount of food going to landfills makes a significant contribution
to global warming.
Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for
human consumption every year approximately 1.3 billion
tonnes gets lost or wasted.
Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as
much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food
production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).
The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent
to more than half of the world's annual cereals crop (2.3
billion tonnes in 2009/2010).
Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of
resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital
and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions,
contributing to global warming and climate change.
Water Wastage
Even though households are relatively low consumers of water,
population growth and expanded water use have outweighed the
effect of water saving technology and behavior.

Less than 3% of the worlds water is fresh (drinkable), of

which 2.5% is frozen in the Antarctica, Arctic and glaciers.
Humanity must therefore rely on 0.5% for all of mans
ecosystems and fresh water needs.

Man is polluting water faster than nature can recycle and

purify water in rivers and lakes.

More than 1 billion people still do not have access to fresh

water.

Excessive use of water contributes to the global water stress.

Water is free from nature but the infrastructure needed to
deliver it is expensive.

Wasting energy
The lack of efficiency in the energy cycle
Cheap and abundant fossil fuels have cemented bad energy
habits, especially in rich countries. Most of our methods of
producing, distributing and using energy are massively
inefficient.
These inefficiencies run across all production and use of energy,
from the power plants to our everyday use of cars, heating and
cooling systems, air travel and stand-by power.
Power plants
Power plants typically only turn about 30% of the energy input
into usable electricity.
We are losing up to 75 % of the energy in the fuel at the start of

the process. Energy companies could do much better combining

power and heat production can lift efficiency to over 70%.
But power producers insist on working to old models the
production of large quantities of energy in one plant far from
where people live. Many of the new plants that are proposed now
will remain below 40% efficiency but power producers still try to
persuade us that this is good. Is wasting 60% really what we
want?
Cars
An average car emits approximately 3 times its weight in CO2 per
year*.
And it is typically used to take ONE person to work and back
exceeding the weight of an 80 kg person 37.5 times. Of course,
light-weight solutions exist which minimise fuel use.
* A car with a fuel consumption of around 7.8 litres/100 km (36
miles per gallon) travelling 16,000 km (10,000 miles) per year
emits almost 3 tonnes (6,500 lbs) of CO2 per year.
Flying
Airlines and their industry have been hit by rising oil prices.The
industry is aware of the danger this poses to its profitability and is
seeking to develop more efficient planes which can travel further.
However, the fact is that flying is inefficient in principle, resulting
in much higher energy use and much higher CO2 emissions than
any other form of travel. The best advice is simply not to fly
travel by other means wherever possible.
Some facts:

Consumer action could close 24 coal-fired power

stations !

We could close at least 24 coal-fired power stations, if consumers

in all industrialised countries unplugged chargers and switched off
their domestic appliances instead of putting them on stand-by.

Stand-by power consumption accounts for up to 13% of residential electricity

use in the OECD.
Up to 50% of the energy used by a mobile phone comes from chargers left
plugged in when not in use.
Compact fluorescent lamps use only around 25% of the electricity as
traditional light bulbs to provide the same light. And, they can save up to
80% on your next electric bill and last up to 8 times longer.
Turning down the thermostat by just 1C in winter can save up to 10% per
year on heating bills.
Washing clothes at 30C (86F) rather than 40C (104F) reduces electricity
consumption by around 40% on average.
Drying clothes by spinning is 20 times less energy intensive than drying them
with heat in a clothes dryer.

Sometimes putting on an extra sweater is more effective and

it saves you money on heating bills.
One of the biggest threats to humanity & nature
It's nearly impossible to overstate the threat of climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions are rising more rapidly than predicted
and consequently the world is warming more quickly.
Global warming will have catastrophic effects such as accelerating
sea level rise, droughts, floods, storms and heat waves. These will
impact some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people,
disrupting food production, and threatening vitally important
species, habitats and ecosystems.
Despite compelling scientific evidence, governments and
businesses have responded very slowly. Even if countries fulfill all
current mitigation pledges, the world will still face between 2.6
and 4 C of warming.

As we work to reduce emissions, we must simultaneously begin to

adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

CONCLUSION
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
Pollution and over-exploitation of the worlds resources are
increasingly compromising our own wellbeing and quality of life.
The planet cannot afford to continue taking this path.
A transition towards a more sustainable lifestyle is
crucial to enable future generations to have access to
their fair share of resources.
There are many possibilities as for how we can change our
unsustainable consumption habits while also improving our
quality of life. To do more with less is essential for us to live within
the resources the planet has to offer. Changing our current living
standards requires us to adopt innovative and creative solutions
on the way we use and dispose the products and services we own
and consume. This could enable a transition to more sustainable
activities and lifestyles while also protecting the worlds natural
resources.
So orient your action for World Environment Day this year to
an activity that promotes sustainable consumption and be the one
to reshape our future!
Consuming within planetary boundaries is the most promising
strategy for ensuring a healthy future. Human prosperity need not
cost the earth. Living sustainably is about doing more and better
with less. It is about knowing that rising rates of natural resource
use and the environmental impacts that occur are not a necessary
by-product of economic growth.
"Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume
with Care."