Friends of the Earth believes in equitable and sustainable use of resources across a fair share of what we call “environmental space”, which is spelled out in detail on the first climate justice campaign page. 'Material flow' is a useful way of looking at human interaction in the environment and how we can do things sustainably. Material flow refers to the flow of all the resources we extract, the products and services we provide and wastes generated.

By measuring material flow we can see the connection between resource use, products and wastes and determine if what we do is an equitable and ecologically sustainable use of resources. For example, the World Resources Institute has estimated that, one half to three quarters of annual resource inputs to industrialised economies are returned to the environment as waste within a year.

The Institute observes that….."[t]he extraction and use of fossil energy resources dominate output flows in all industrial countries. Modern industrial economies are carbon-based economies. Fossil energy consumption is still rising. Carbon dioxide accounts, on average, for more than 80% by weight of material outflows from economic activity in the five study countries. The atmosphere is by far the biggest dumping ground for industrial wastes."

The WRI conclude that this endemic consumption frenzy and lack of resource efficiency is not sustainable.
Climate Injustice: stealing from the global commons

Climate change is caused by dangerous over production of greenhouse gases, and by systemic inequalities in global resource allocation and use. Friends of the Earth Australia seeks global solutions to the threat of climate change, based on a fair share of environmental space for all peoples.

Australia has the highest per capita GHG emission rates on the planet at about 26.7 tonnes per person. This is twice the average level of other wealthy countries (13.4 tonnes) and 25% higher than emissions per person in the United States (21.2 tonnes). Our energy intensive economy and lifestyle is typical of the developed world, which is responsible for over 80% of all GHG emissions. Australia, with only 19 million people produces 1.4% of global emissions. The US, with 4% of the world's population produces about 25% of global GHG emissions.

In 1990 global emissions of CO2 were 22.3 billion tonnes. The IPCC maintain that a 60% reduction is required to avoid 'unpredictable and dangerous' climate change. This means that the atmosphere may be able to accommodate 8.9 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. Assuming everyone has equal rights to the Earth's atmosphere, an estimated sustainable emission rate is about 1.47 tonnes per capita per year.

Collectively, Australians are using 18 times more of the atmosphere than we are entitled to!

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