Ecological footprint WWF
There is no denying that Hong Kong is a materialistic society. For this reason, Hong Kong’s Ecological Footprint is considerably larger than the global average. Today, on Earth Overshoot Day, WWF-Hong Kong is releasing the “Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Report 2013”. This report explains and explores the reasons why Hong Kong people are living beyond the Earth’s limits. In a comparison of about 150 countries, Hong Kong was found to have the 26th largest per capita Ecological Footprint. If everyone in the world lived in the lifestyle we lead in Hong Kong, we would need the equivalent of 2.6 Earths to fulfil our need for resources.
According to the report, Hong Kong has an average per person Ecological Footprint of 4.7 global hectares (gha), which is a staggering 150 times more than the 0.03 gha of Hong Kong’s available per capita biocapacity. The difference between the two figures means we are in “ecological deficit”. This deficit is the ninth largest in the world and the second-largest in Asia. The report predicts that if the situation remains unchanged in the future, by the middle of this century, we will need the equivalent resources of 3 Earths to satisfy our daily needs.
Mr CW Cheung, Head of the Footprint Programme of WWF-Hong Kong explained, “Hong Kong has always been reliant on the natural resources of other countries. Since ecological deficit is a growing problem around the world, there is increasing competition for global resources. Hong Kong has to make changes and adapt to the rules of this “new game”, to make us less vulnerable to fluctuations in global market prices and supply disruption. We hope that the Government, corporations and individuals can begin to take responsibility and adopt a “consume less, consume wisely” approach. This will reduce Hong Kong’s Ecological Footprint and also strengthen Hong Kong's competitive advantage.”
“Running significant biocapacity deficits is becoming more and more of a risk to economies in a world in overshoot, ” said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel. “With its innovation power and many efficiency advantages, Hong Kong has the potential to take the lead in sustainable development. This is not only good for the world, but it gives Hong Kong a distinct advantage and ensures economic stability.”
The report also shows that the consumption of goods is responsible for one-fourth of Hong Kong’s total Ecological Footprint, and is by far the largest single contributing sector to the Footprint. To learn
more about the consumption habits of Hong Kong people, WWF-Hong Kong recently conducted an online “Hong Kong Clothing Consumption Survey” in August, 2013. The results of the survey show that almost 80 percent of respondents do not believe that they buy more clothes than they need; while over 80 percent knew that the manufacturing of clothes is associated with negative environmental impacts, and agree that they would buy fewer clothes if they knew that the manufacture of clothes negatively affected the environment. The survey findings show that Hong Kong people’s perception of the relationship between shopping and the environment is enormously different from what they actually do in their real lives.
@fusiliyyc I get that, but you can't write a piece that says there are no ecological limits and that the "footprint" concept is irrelevant.