As of today, Austria is living at the Earth's expense
Yesterday, April 7, one day later than last year, Austria "celebrated" the national World Depletion Day. This day indicates when Austria has used up the natural resources available for this year. So if everyone in the world lived like we do in Austria, the world's resources would have run out by the beginning of April.
GLOBAL 2000 is publishing a video about growth for this year's World Exhaustion Day, with prominent support from Christoph Badelt, President of the Fiscal Council.
It deals with topics such as the conflict between infinite growth and finite resources. The economic expert clearly states that the economy is not an isolated system, but must always be viewed in a social and ecological context.
"We cannot ignore environmental and social conditions. A naive adherence to growth at all costs is no longer in keeping with the times," says Christoph Badelt, President of the Fiscal Council.
Austria's resource consumption in 2018 was 167 million tons (Mt) per year, or 19 tons per capita per year. The consumption-based material footprint was even 33 tons per capita per year in 2017. In the circular economy strategy adopted in 2022, the Ministry of Climate Action, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs set a target of 7 tons of material footprint per person per year for 2050.
"We are literally living beyond our means," warns Anna Leitner, an expert on resources and supply chains at GLOBAL 2000.
"Only in 12 countries is World Depletion Day earlier than in Austria! But the government is still taking too few measures to reduce resource consumption. Instead, economic growth is maintained, regardless of whether it serves people's needs or boosts the consumption of resources for unnecessary consumption."
