DEFRA develops ‘one planet living’ strategy

The concept says that if every country used the same amount of resources as the UK humans would need three planets to survive. It is also being used by WWF to help businesses devise growth strategies that acknowledge the need to limit consumer demand to what the planet can sustain (ENDS Report 387, p 8 ).

The strategy was mentioned in the government’s response to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s report on the UN millennium ecosystem assessment.¹

The report urged the government to ensure the UK’s competitiveness is not damaged by firms failing to realise that global ecosystem degradation poses a threat to their profitability (ENDS Report 384, p 48 ).

A provisional set of well-being indicators are due in July. A cross-government group has been established to develop such indicators to add to the existing sustainable development indicators.

The committee urged the government to adopt an econometric that "measures growth in a way that recognises environmental limits".