May 11, 2009

"At the end of the day, we all must look in the mirror and take responsibility for our actions."

The evening before President Barack Obama’s inauguration, actor Edward Norton, Jr., gave an eloquent and memorable speech at the Green Gala in Washington, D.C. After honoring his father, who contributed considerably to the conservation movement, he went on to say that too often we talk in the abstract about our conservation work around the world, without first looking in the mirror to consider the impacts of our own lifestyles on the planet.

His statement was powerful because it’s true. Saving places like the Amazon, the heart of Africa and the Arctic mean changing our behaviors here at home. In fact, it’s the basic math of our planet: The world’s population is on track to surpass 9 billion by 2050, and China, India and other countries are gaining in prosperity. How can we meet the needs of the world’s growing population and its increasing consumption patterns on a finite planet?

We know that our demands exceed what the planet can provide. WWF’s Living Planet Report, a biannual analysis of the carrying capacity of the globe compared with resource use, states that once China catches up to U.S. levels of consumption, the overall demand on Earth’s resources will equal twice what our planet has to offer. If the rest of the world catches up to U.S. consumption levels, we will require 11 planets to meet our resource needs. It’s clear that we need to make changes.

One of the greatest challenges is meeting the needs of people while also protecting our planet and teaching new ways to use less water, less energy and less land to produce the products we all consume.

Certainly, we have the power to achieve these efficiencies. We can use our pocketbooks and demand products produced using fewer natural resources. And we can elect representatives who will pass laws that commit us to greater efficiency and renewable energy, while providing incentives for using less land and water for agricultural practices.

Finally, we can move the institutions for which we work to change their policies and practices. It doesn’t matter where you live or who you work for: You have the ability to make a difference. Our website—worldwildlife.org—provides clear resources and suggestions. At the end of the day, we all must look in the mirror and take responsibility for our actions. It will determine whether the natural world and its glorious creatures will survive or fail.

Carter S. Roberts