Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation May-June2015 Vol. 10 No.3 | Page 20

Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.
The well-being of humanity, the environment, and the functioning of the economy, ultimately depend upon the responsible
management of the planet’s natural resources. Evidence is building that people are consuming far more natural resources
than what the planet can sustainably provide.
Many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change, pushed by high
population growth and economic development. By 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the
same and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three planets to sustain our ways of living and
consumption.
The WED theme this year is therefore “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.” Living within planetary
boundaries is the most promising strategy for ensuring a healthy future. Human prosperity need not cost the earth. Living
sustainably is about doing more and better with less. It is about knowing that rising rates of natural resource use and the
environmental impacts that occur are not a necessary by-product of economic growth.

The United Nations Secretary-General Message on World
Environment Day, 5 June 2015
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet.
Consume with Care”.
The goal of sustainable development is to increase the quality of life for all people without
increasing environmental degradation, and without compromising the resource needs of
future generations. We can do this by shifting our consumption patterns towards goods that
use less energy, water and other resources, and by wasting less food.
In this year of transformation, when we hope to see great advances on sustainable development
and climate change, let us celebrate World Environment Day by becoming more conscious
of our ecological impact. Let us think about the environmental consequences of the choices
we make. Let us become better stewards of our planet.

Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • May - June 2015

19