‘need to pay back eco debt'

Dubai If one per cent of UAE residents lead more environmentally responsible lives, it'll cut down carbon emission by an amount equal to taking 3,000 cars off the roads, it has been estimated.

Just 55,000 residents can make that difference by switching to energy-saving light bulbs at home, according to Heroes of the UAE, a campaign to bring a sustainable lifestyle to the Emirates, which is leaving the biggest environmental footprint (per capita) on Earth.

The UAE's ecological standing was highlighted by Dr Mathis Wackernagel, President of Global Footprint Network (GFN). He said UAE households accounted for 57 per cent of the pressure on resources like water and electricity, outstripping factories and industries. If everybody lived like residents here, humankind might need 4.5 planets to survive, said The Living Planet Report 2008 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a partner of GFN.

"You've to ask how much bio-capacity we have, how much do we use? There's not much in the UAE, since it's a desert. It may take three years to repay the accumulated ecological debt. Countries must leave a cushion to pay off their ecological debt," said Dr Wackernagel at a lecture at the Dubai School of Government. In 2007, the nation tied up with GFN to roll out the UAE Ecological Footprint Initiative, or Al Basama Al Beeiya, to ensure a sustainable future.