This document summarizes a lecture about responding to ecological overshoot and moving toward a green economy. It notes that in the 20th century, population increased 4x, global freshwater withdrawals 3x, economic output 22x, and fossil fuel consumption 14x, which is unsustainable. It discusses that Europeans consume disproportionately more of some global resources than their population share. The largest environmental pressures come from food/drink, housing, and mobility. Recycling can only contribute modestly to reducing materials consumption. It advocates managing natural capital and ecosystem services to improve resource efficiency and resilience, enhancing human well-being through a green economy that uses various types of capital efficiently.

1. MO* Lecture, Brussels, 10th October 2012
Responding to Ecological Overshoot
Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, EEA

3. 12 July 2012 – 97% of Greenland's surface ice melting

4. Reasons for reaching Ecologicial Overshoot Day

5. Green Growth -- more growth in Quantity?
From less is more  to do more with less
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
20th Century
Population 4X
Global freshwater
withdrawals 3X
Economic
Output 22X
Fossil fuel
consumption 14X
OECD

6. Our diagnosis: this is not sustainable

7. EU27 imports and exports of materials

8. Share of imports in EU-27 materials consumption
for selected materials

9. Europeans consume...
17 % of world meat output
13 % of world energy output
10 % of world apparel output
...whilst having a 7% global share of
population
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Enerdata; FAO

10. Europe’s footprint
Source: EEA, based on data from the Global Footprint Network

11. Food and drink, housing and mobility create the greatest
pressures on the environment: the European picture
Eating and drinking
16 % of GHG emissions
34 % of material use
Housing and infrastructures
31 % of GHG emissions
22 % of material use
Mobility
26 % of GHG emissions
14 % of material use
Source: EEA

12. How much can recycling contribute to consumption of
materials in Europe?
Source: EEA, based on Eurostat data

13. Pathways for the future

14. A green economy
An economy in which policies and innovations enable
society to use resources efficiently, enhancing human
well-being in an inclusive manner, while maintaining the
natural systems that sustain us.

15. Managing natural capital and ecosystem services:
improving resource efficiency and ensure resilience
Ecosystem Economy
(natural capital) (produced capital)
goal: ensure goal: improve
ecosystem resilience resource efficiency
GREEN
ECONOMY
Human well-being
(social and human capital)
goal: enhance social equity
and fair burden-sharing

16. Beyond GDP - progress
• Stiglitz-Fitoussi-Sen Commission
(2009) and EC’s ‘Beyond GDP’
initiative indicates that it is
feasible to measure progress
across the economic, social and
environmental domains by using
a basket of interlinked, coherent
indicators.
• National initiatives like the
Gross National Happiness Index
of Bhutan

17. Beyond GDP - progress
• GPI - genuine progress indicator
• R-ISEW - Regional Index of
Sustainable Economic Well-being
• Source: http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/

18. Natural Capital

19. Social and Cultural Capital

20. Human Capital

21. Building capital

22. Imaginative capital

23. Thank you
Prof. Jacqueline McGlade
Executive Director, EEA