Overexploitation: strong negative impacts on biodiversity and society
Population growth and increasing consumption lead to intense food production. Result: our natural resources are overexploited.
Overexploitation occurs when too much is taken from a resource and it exceeds its natural regeneration capacity. We observe this phenomenon in particular in forests, in agriculture, with fossils, fishing, or grazing. You will also find here an article dealing with water scarcity, partly caused by overexploitation of water.
Ever-increasing consumption
Overexploitation leads to an advance in Overshoot Day. Date on which it is estimated that the world population has consumed all the natural resources that the planet is capable of producing in one year. Every year Overshoot Day seems to come earlier and earlier. In 2020, it occurred on August 22, while it was December 20 in the year 1971. It would therefore take 1.6 planets to meet the world's needs in one year.
Resource consumption remains unevenly distributed around the world. But if we all consumed as we do in France, there would be 2.7 planets to meet our needs.
Furthermore, according to a UN report, the world population will reach 10.9 billion people in 2100. Without adopting sustainable resource consumption and management patterns, the day of overrun will continue to arrive sooner.
Overproduction and economic and social consequences
The phenomenon of overexploitation is accompanied by that of overproduction. Overproduction is the situation in which production exceeds consumer demand. This phenomenon generally leads to a drop in prices and therefore a closure of the least competitive production centers. What follows is an increase in unemployment and a fall in wages, as well as an economic crisis (which will reduce production so that it meets demand and allows a return to growth).
In recent years, this phenomenon has been observed in milk as well as pork. The price of these fell during 2015. A drop so significant that it did not allow breeders to cover their costs and generate a decent income.
The negative impacts of overexploitation on the planet
The production of agricultural commodities requires a large amount of water for irrigation, as well as fertilizers and pesticides.
The increase in this production occurs through the expansion of arable land to the detriment of forests. Added to this is the production of fodder for the production of meat and milk. According to the FAO, around 28% of the world's agricultural land is used to produce food which will then be wasted, without even having been consumed. This waste amounts to 10 million tonnes in France, and 1.3 billion tonnes worldwide, each year.
Overexploitation of agriculture and overgrazing then causes pollution of soils and waterways, and soil exhaustion. Deforestation is responsible for the destruction of habitats which increases the already significant number of threatened and endangered species. It reduces the absorption of greenhouse gases, interrupts the water cycle and prevents water from seeping into soils (because trees make soils permeable). Overfishing leads to disruption of the food chain and marine ecosystems, the disappearance of species and the involuntary capture of species such as dolphins or turtles.
Once produced, this food must be packaged and transported to processing and/or distribution centers, while keeping the food at the right temperature. Which also requires energy, emits greenhouse gases and produces waste (food or not).
This puts pressure on biodiversity and the environmental burden is multiplied when food is wasted.
Overexploitation and food waste
Sources: fao.org , ined.fr , biovision.ch , projetecolo.com , msc.org , actu-environnement.com , n aturefrance.fr , lefigaro.fr
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