A planet challenged - The simple, brutal truth

AS we’ve been preoccupied by economic collapse the terrible and regular warnings about the life-and-death challenges facing our planet seem to have slipped from the headlines.

That’s entirely understandable but as yesterday’s Living Planet Report shows that cannot be a long-term position. Ignoring a looming crisis will not avert it.

The report tells us what we can see if we care to look — humanity’s demands on natural resources has doubled in five decades and are beyond what the planet can provide by more than half.