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Our News
WWF Figures Reveal Hong Kong’s Ecological Deficit is the Largest in Asia
Humanity is overconsuming the Earth’s natural resources at an ever-increasing rate. The latest figures for Hong Kong’s Ecological Footprint, released today by WWF-Hong Kong, show that the problem is even more serious in the case of Hong Kong: our huge “ecological deficit” – the difference between our per capita Ecological Footprint and our available biocapacity – ranks first in Asia. If everybody on the planet consumed resources at the same rate as we do in Hong Kong, we would require 3.1 Earths to fulfil our resource needs.
According to the Living Planet Report 2014, published worldwide by WWF on 30 September, the global Ecological Footprint is 1.5 times the size of the amount of natural resources available. In other words, it takes the Earth 18 months to regenerate the resources that humanity consumes in one year.
Hong Kong, famous for being a “shopping paradise”, has an Ecological Footprint much larger than the global average; and this figure is rising rapidly. According to WWF-Hong Kong’s analysis, the city has an average per-person Ecological Footprint of 5.4 global hectares (gha). This is the 15th largest in the world, and is also an alarming 540 times more than the city’s 0.01 gha available per capita biocapacity. The difference between the two figures means we are in huge “ecological deficit”. In other words, if we needed to sustain our lifestyles by using our own natural resources, we would need 540 Hong Kongs.
“This recent analysis is an alarming signal to all of us that we are overtaxing the finite resources of our world. Hong Kong’s pattern of over-consumption and unsustainable lifestyles should not be underestimated. We know where we want to be – our challenge now is to transform Hong Kong into Asia’s most sustainable city”, said Gavin Edwards, Conservation Director of WWF-Hong Kong.
In response to this challenge to begin using natural resources sustainably, leading businesses in Hong Kong are becoming aware of global and local ecological deficits and are taking measures to reduce their Ecological Footprints through corporate development strategies and daily operations so as to address the potential interruptions and risks to their businesses. Samuel Kwong, Group Sustainable Development Manager of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and Natalie Chan, Director, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, which owns Peninsula Hotels worldwide have insights into how their companies implement strategies to reduce their Ecological Footprints.
Because Hong Kong imports most of its commodities from all corners of the world, the decisions and choices we make in Hong Kong have huge impacts both globally and locally. Globally, the Living Planet Report documents how wildlife populations have halved in the past 40 years, with the quest for natural resources being a major driver of this fall. Locally, our landfills are almost full, yet our unsustainable lifestyles continue to create more waste. These updated figures have been released by WWF-Hong Kong in the hopes that Hongkongers will rethink our over-consumption and its associated impact on our planet.
While businesses and citizens across Hong Kong are realizing their roles and put real effort into reducing our Ecological Footprint, the government should play a guiding role in this journey. “Our government needs to shoulder much more responsibility by taking the lead in measuring Hong Kong’s Ecological Footprint. This will help all of Hong Kong society visualize what progress we are making in terms of reducing our Ecological Footprint and transforming Hong Kong into a more sustainable city”, added CW Cheung, Head of the Footprint Programme of WWF-Hong Kong.
It is exceptionally urgent for the Hong Kong government, business community and individuals to recognize the seriousness of this problem and formulate suitable solutions before it is too late. By taking joint action to reduce our Ecological Footprint, it is possible to transform Hong Kong into Asia’s most sustainable city and for all of us to start living sustainable lifestyles.
About the Living Planet Report 2014
The Living Planet Report 2014 was produced in collaboration with Global Footprint Network (GFN), Water Footprint Network (WFN) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The report aims to track the condition of natural capital and the size of our Ecological Footprint. GFN is an international research organization whose mission is to promote ecological limits at all levels of decision-making by advancing the use of the Ecological Footprint. While WFN is an international network committed to the transition to fair and wise use of the world’s fresh water, ZSL is a conservation organization which promotes the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.