We Need Five (5!) Planets to Support Us

World Wildlife Fund Director-General James Leape:

If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us

What could we do about it?

The United States, a key consumer nation, is at the forefront in what the report terms resource "overshoot" -- or using far more resources than the planet can sustain. However, the United States also has available some of the more effective opportunities to stem natural resource loss and reverse overconsumptive trends. For example, the nation's environmental footprint or impact can be substantially lightened by reducing carbon dioxide emissions which threaten global climate. The United States is also in a position to promote greater sustainability in fisheries, forestry, agriculture, and other sectors, and to stem biodiversity loss by protecting vital habitats.

What are we doing about it?

After a six-year delay, the Energy Department proposes standards so moderate that even some firms complain.

[snip]

[I]n the three standards it has proposed itself, the department has set a far lower bar than efficiency advocates had wanted. Two of the standards are so low that even some industry officials are complaining. Earlier this month, DOE surprised nearly everyone by nixing on technical grounds a proposal for home boilers backed by industry and consumer groups.

"It's never happened before that they've rejected a negotiated standard," says Charles Samuels, a Boston lawyer who often represents the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Such moves are causing many observers - from efficiency advocates to members of Congress - to question how deeply DOE is committed to energy efficiency, despite Mr. Bush's rhetoric.

We had better find 4 more planet earths, and quick...