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resources, and by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to
a minimum. This could be a
welcome step towards reducing
the environmental impact of
food, and it could help roll
back Earth’s Overshoot Day.
Adaptation, on the other hand,
is a more challenging task
that involves embarking
oyemelsanace ele (orets
WWE has decided
to co-host Food
Chain Reaction—a
mock stimulation
or role-playing
o> cUGs (come ONES
November in
partnership
aise)
organizations
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esr
American
Progress, CNA,
Cargill Inc.,
and Mars Inc.
It will bring
dozens of people
from around
the world with
professions such
PY probe rmenred Coa uch
scientists, and food
company executives
to Washington D.C.,
where they will deal with a
“hypothetical food shortage
and its side effects.” McLaughlin
Fuoco wor MaetimaneRA oon uatC acorn)
will be set as per the predicted
and calculated conditions in
2020 in terms of population,
urbanization, weather
conditions etc. The players will

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  

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by collaborating, negotiating,
making decisions, confronting
trade-offs, and exploring new
possibilities. The situation
given may be hypothetical, but
the players dealing with the
situation have been picked very
carefully, with the organizers
inviting those who are likely

to have to deal with a real food
Jace Stats Coe Beem aeCcmelerty
future. “We might not know
what the next food shortages
will look like, but scientific and
historical evidence tell us that
they will come—and that they
will be increasingly severe and
prolonged,” said McLaughlin.

It is clear from the previous
record that Earth’s Overshoot
Day is advancing every year.
However, both the public
and the private sector are
ushering the world into an “era
of responsibility” in order to
roll the overshoot day back,
Pee oyu pr-Vucmol but bU acm coruaels
inevitable food crises when they
strike our planet.

The ecological footprint of
each city, state, and nation can
be compared to its biocapacity.
hieetom CVU Coe cwebean(oumMeT-ls
particular region is running
an ecological deficit; thus,
the region is likely to fulfill
its demands by liquidating its
future ecological assets and
emitting more carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere. According
to a report published in The
Guardian, China needs 2.7 times
more biocapacity to support
its present population. So is
the case with other countries:

 

France needs 1.4; USA, 1.9;
India, 2; the U.K., 3; Egypt,

3.2; Switzerland, 3.5; Italy, 3.8;
and Japan, 5.5. The total world
average is 1.6. This means that

it would take 1.6 Earths to meet
our demands. The Australian
Earth Laws Alliance (AELA), an
official partner of GFN, reported
in August that “if everyone on
Earth had the same life style as
EOWA (osu: TowaUeRimuVeCWOMmRy (om MOLT Cel
need 4.8 planets.”

The task of calculating a city
or state’s footprint may be the
responsibility of the respective
governments, but we too can
plan our ecological budget
at individual level. To begin
with, calculate your personal
ecological footprint using GFN’s
online footprint calculator,
which will depend on how much
land area it takes to support your
lifestyle, what kind of transport
you use, and other variables of
your daily life. Unfortunately,
there is no calculator that
applies to BC, so select Calgary
or US on the displayed map
for approximate results. This
will help you know your areas
of resource consumption, and
reduce your ecological deficit.
Awareness is an important step
towards action. Some first steps
are using more public transport,
reducing your plastic and other
non-biodegradable waste, saving
water, recycling as much as
possible, and, most importantly,
planting trees. Do your part to
prolong man’s stay on Earth,
because Earth is not just a
planet; it is also our home.