#EarthDay

We only
have
one
planet

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Humanity's demand exceeds
our planet's capacity

We need 1.5 Earths to meet the demands we currently make on our planet. Your support will help us take bold action now to build a fair, prosperous, sustainable future.

Discover how we are all connected –
to one another and to our one planet.

1 Humanity's challenge

Environmental changes affect all of us

The way we meet our needs today is compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs – the very opposite of sustainable development.

Humanity’s well-being and prosperity – indeed, our very existence – depends on healthy ecosystems and the services they supply: clean water, a liveable climate, food, fuel and fertile soils. The challenge of providing everyone with the food, water and energy they need is already a daunting prospect, and the human population is projected to swell to over 9 billion by 2050.

Protecting nature and using its resources responsibly are prerequisites for human development and well-being, and for building resilient, healthy communities.

The upcoming generation must seize the opportunity to close this destructive chapter in our history, and build a future in which people live and prosper in harmony with nature.

Marco Lambertini

Marco Lambertini

Director General, WWF International

Here we are

2 Food, water and energy

Our demands on nature are unsustainable and increasing

We cut trees faster than they mature, harvest more fish than the ocean can replenish, and emit more carbon into the atmosphere than forests and the ocean can absorb. In 2014, we used more natural resources in eight months than the planet can produce in 12 months. For the remainder of the year, we borrowed resources from future generations.

When we overburden one resource, the effects are felt elsewhere. Consider the links between food, water and energy security. Their interdependence means that efforts to secure one aspect can destabilize others – attempts to boost agricultural productivity, for example, may lead to increased demands for water and energy inputs, and impact biodiversity and ecosystem services.

It’s a cycle: The way we meet our needs affects the health of ecosystems, and the health of ecosystems affects our ability to meet these needs. This is equally relevant for the poorest rural communities – who often rely directly on nature for their livelihoods – as for the world’s great cities, which are increasingly vulnerable to threats such as flooding and pollution as a result of environmental degradation.

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Here we are

How we produce food, use water or generate energy impacts on the biosphere that supports these needs.

3 One Planet Solutions

Better choices can be made and practical solutions do exist

In a world where so many people live in poverty, it may appear as though protecting nature is a luxury. But it is quite the opposite. For many of the world’s poorest people, nature is a lifeline. Importantly though, we are all in this together. We all need nutritious food, fresh water and clean air – wherever in the world we live.

Progress has been made in recent years in quantifying the financial value of the natural capital that underpins our economies and societies. Although any valuation of ecosystem services is a “gross underestimate of infinity,” such valuations can help make an economic case for conserving nature and living sustainably. WWF’s “One Planet Perspective” takes this a step further and outlines better choices for managing, using and sharing natural resources within the planet’s limits.

The task is difficult, certainly, but not impossible – because it is in ourselves, who have caused the problem, that we can find the solution.

Here we are

Belize’s new coastal development plan takes full account of the huge value of natural ecosystems.

Joseph Okori

Preserve Natural Capital

Denmark has been producing electricity from wind since the 19th century and continues to be a wind power world leader.

Jo Shaw

Produce Better

A growing number of cities are demonstrating their willingness to lead in the transition to a sustainable future.

Christy Williams

Consume More Wisely