Website of the UK government

The problem

Human demands on world resources have doubled over the last 40 years.

Like most developed countries, the UK currently uses more than our fair share of resources like fuel, raw materials and water. As the things people buy are often made elsewhere, our lifestyles don’t just affect us here in the UK, they damage the environment in other parts of the world too. Developed countries need to move towards using only their fair share of the world’s resources – this idea has been described as one planet living.

• WWF Living Planet report - the effect humans are having on natural resources Opens new window

Using resources wisely

Decisions people make in their everyday lives – what type of home to live in, how to travel and what products to buy – can help us move towards living within one planet’s worth of resources.

Human activity has led to many natural resources being depleted and created some major environmental problems:

Fossil fuels
Increasing amounts of fossil fuels are burned to produce electricity and for transport – this produces carbon dioxide which causes climate change:

• the use of coal has risen by more than half over the last 20 years and will continue to go up
• the use of oil is predicted to rise by the same amount by 2030
  

It takes around 4,000 litres of water to make a cotton T-shirt

Water
Food and other products put huge demands on water supplies at home and abroad. For example:

• it takes around 4,000 litres of water to make a cotton T-shirt - some lakes in cotton-producing areas are drying up, causing the collapse of fish stocks
• world populations of freshwater fish have nearly halved since 1970 due to increased demand for water in producing food, fibre and energy 

Grazing land
Demand for animal products is rising rapidly and it is estimated that the impact of grazing has doubled globally over the last 30 years - more land is being converted to grassland - reducing other wildlife habitats, while over-grazing reduces the number of species that can be supported.

• More on nature under threat

Forests
Wood can be a great renewable resource. But the way people currently use it is causing the world’s ancient forests to shrink. Trees are being lost at about an average of 36 football fields a minute because of the spread of urban development, illegal logging, agriculture and industry.

Fish
Over-fishing is a threat to ocean-life and to the food and livelihoods of over a billion people. As many as 90 per cent of all the oceans' large fish have been fished out. More than ever before, responsible fisheries management is needed to help protect marine life and conserve habitats for future generations.

Cutting waste

The amount of household waste recycled or composted has increased to 31 per cent

The UK generates rubbish fast enough to fill the Albert Hall in London every two hours, and our landfill sites are filling up fast. What is more, as rubbish decays in landfill sites, it produces methane, a damaging greenhouse gas with climate change effects judged to be over 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

The good news is that recycling has doubled over the last four years.

Some examples of how waste could be cut further include:

• producing, transporting and consuming food and drink causes a third of greenhouse gas emissions; but large amounts go in the bin - UK households spend an average of £424 a year on food that gets thrown away
• the average household wastes a tenth of their electricity bills by leaving appliances on standby - across the UK this is equivalent to the annual output of two power stations, wasting fossil fuels and causing climate change
• 5bn aluminium cans are sold in the UK every year, and many still go into landfill; although this metal is plentiful, it needs a great deal of electricity to produce - the same energy is needed to produce a new can as is needed to produce 20 cans from recycled materials
• the UK produces 3m tonnes of plastic waste each year, most of which is put in landfill - recycling just one plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60W light bulb for six hours

You will find practical advice on Directgov about how to save resources, cut waste and help us move towards living within our means.

• Recycling
• Reducing waste, re-using and repairing
• More facts about recycling Opens new window

More useful links

• Saving water in your home
• Saving water in the garden
• Buying recycled products
• Saving energy in your home