Humanity’s demands on the planet are unsustainable. A policy of investment in renewable energy, green jobs and zero-emission housing is needed
On 8 August 2016, the world slipped into “ecological overshoot” – having consumed more resources and produced more waste than nature can replace and absorb in the year. We hit this landmark earlier and earlier every year, and a big part of that – 60% – involves the carbon emissions driving global warming. Indeed, any idea of the UK being a world leader on climate action is sharply dispelled by the government’s own latest figures, quietly released a few days ago. They revealed that when you include emissions from all the things we consume, our carbon footprint is going up, not down, as other, more commonly quoted official figures suggest.
Climate records are being broken on a monthly basis as temperatures, sea levels and carbon concentrations all hit levels never experienced by modern, human societies. It’s no longer a problem we can delay facing until physical impacts become unavoidable – the government’s own advisers warn of a climate domino effect on key infrastructure.
Related: Environmental records shattered as climate change ‘plays out before us’
Industrial strategy means getting cheap money on good terms to the sectors that offer a sustainable industrial future
Related: The climate crisis is already here – but no one’s telling us | George Monbiot