World slips into ecological debt

Earth’s 2015 natural resources used up by August

This year, it took the world’s population just eight months to use  the annual allowance of the Earth’s natural resources, according to data by the think-tank, Global Footprint Network (GFN).

Known as Earth Overshoot Day — the date when humanity’s resource use exceeds the world’s ability to regenerate those resources that year — occurred on August 13.

That’s six days earlier than 2014 and means by the end of this year, the world’s population will have consumed resources produced by the unsustainable equivalent of 1.6 Earths.

The research states that if our consumption and emissions remain unchanged we will be using the resources of two Earths every year by 2030.

“This is a shocking prediction and should focus the world’s attention on the importance of energy efficiency as a guaranteed way to save the world’s energy resources and cut carbon emissions.” said Vincent Briard, Head of Sustainability, Products & Buildings at Knauf Insulation.

GFN president Mathis Wackernagel said that the world’s carbon footprint more than doubled between 1961 and 1973 when the world went into ecological overshoot.

In addition to producing products that save energy and reduce the world’s carbon footprint, Knauf Insulation has always actively lobbied governments around the world to introduce tougher energy efficiency measures as well as call for a major reduction in emissions.

Using resources responsibly is also at the heart Knauf Insulation’s DNA.

For example, for every unit of energy that is used to produce our Glass Mineral Wool with ECOSE® Technology, 570 units of energy are saved over 50 years when it is installed in a building.

Our Glass Mineral Wool is also composed of up to 80% recycled glass — a resource efficient win-win for everyone — with waste being transformed into an energy saving product rather than being sent to landfill.

Every contribution counts. “Sustainability requires that everyone lives well, within the means of one planet,” says GFN’s Mathis Wackernagel. “This can only be achieved by keeping our ecological footprint within our planet’s resource budget.”

Read more about Knauf Insulation’s contribution to resource efficiency in our 2014 Sustainability Report; Insulation Matters: www.knaufinsulation.com/en/sustainability_downloads