Spiralling global population and over-consumption are
threatening the future health of the planet, according to a
latest survey of the Earth's health. The environmental
conservation charity World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in a report
released on Tuesday said the demand on natural resources has
become unsustainable and is putting "tremendous" pressure on the
planet's biodiversity. "We are living as if we have an extra
planet at our disposal." - Jim Leape, WWF international director
WWF named Qatar as the country with the largest ecological
footprint, followed by its Gulf Arab neighbours Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates. Denmark and the United States made up the
remaining top five, calculated by comparing the renewable
resources consumed against the earth's regenerative capacity.
The Living Planet Report found that high-income countries have
an ecological footprint on average five times that of low-income
ones. "We are living as if we have an extra planet at our
disposal," said Jim Leape, WWF international directo