JUST A PALE BLUE DOT
Paul Emmet
An Annual Overshoot Have you heard of Earth Overshoot Day? It’s a report that marks the date when our use of resources in a given year exceeds what earth can regenerate in that year. In 2016, that date was August 8th, in 2017, it was August 2nd. We are borrowing resources from future generations. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, featuring 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that seek a balance between social and economic development. Essentially, a blueprint for both developed and developing countries to adopt in order to meet the demands put on our Pale Blue Dot1.
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One would think that the Nordic countries would be at the top of the class when it comes to this. As it happens, the Nordic Council of Ministers have produced an honest report called Bumps on the Road to 2030, which highlights that things aren’t so rosy in Scandinavia after all, and that there is no room for complacency. The report plainly articulates that when things are not going right, it’s better to own up and face the problem. A refreshing and distinctly Nordic approach to governance. ‘Sweden and Finland score very poorly for SDGs 14 & 15 relating to land-based conservation and the rate at which their forests are disappearing’. Regarding aquatic and terrestrial conditions, ‘the entire Nordic region needs to find more sustainable ways to engage with its natural
environments2’. Scandinavian countries rank consistently high in the Transparency International Corruption index, with Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark in the top 10—essentially, the most honest countries in the world. We trust that the Scandinavian nations are green, yet there is no Nordic country in the world’s top ten recyclers list3. Waste-to-Energy (incineration), in which Sweden and Denmark are leading Europe, is a fraught, complex and emotional topic. Trash is being shipped from around the world to be used as fuel, a constant consumption of resources that eats into any recycling efforts. Every incinerated tonne requires extraction of new raw materials, depleting resources in other parts of the world and adding to the total of carbon emissions. In Denmark people generate more than 759 kg of trash per year, compared to Estonia at 357 kg4. Living standards are rising, and there seems to be a correlation between wealth and garbage, but we can fight that with composting, recycling and reclaim schemes. Germany produces around 660 kg, a number which hasn’t increased in 20 years, while
in Denmark it has increased by almost 50%. Denmark is highly invested in Waste-to-Energy, a leader in global incineration rates, annually importing 800,000 tons of waste. During the last few decades, the huge expenditures in incineration have caused a ‘lockin’ situation, whereby the need to secure waste for incinerators hampers many efforts for separate collection. An incinerator costs around 500 million euros, and once is lit it has to be kept burning. The resulting dilemma is why Denmark or Sweden are not among the top recyclers.
Photography by Adam Whitlock, norder.org
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Just a Pale Blue Dot Environment – Collection of stories
Bumps on the Road
